The Greatest Heroes Aren't Heroes At All
by ThatSassyCaptain
Summary: Before she was Mrs. Midoriya, Izuku's Mom, Doctor Kawakami, or one of the select few who'd (knowingly or not) earned All Might's trust, she was a high-schooler with a dream. Inko learns to work with what she has- it's more than enough. The UA!AU of your dreams! Cross-posted from AO3 [Inko-centric] [Ch 11 begins 6/17 update of 13 chapters all at once ]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Howdy! Here's 'Greatest Heroes', cross-posted from AO3. Gen fic, friendship, Inko-centric.**

 **Enjoy!**

The security guards gave her dubious looks but let her pass. She _was_ being accompanied by a police officer after all. Nurses shuffled out of the way and even the doctors gave her a second look. She may have been out of the game a while, but it gave an interesting little boost to her pride to know some of them still remembered.

She may not be Doctor Kawakami anymore, but she was here. And she was ready to help.

They passed through the double doors the led to the OR. The room was up ahead, she was sure. This was a private hospital. As much distance as possible could be put between this little waiting room and the room she needed to be in. But I was an emergency. They had to hurry.

"Doctor Midoriya?"

She jumped slightly, startled by the sudden address. Looking down, she found the man- the mouse… dog… bear? - who had spoken. He looked very sharp in his suit but something about his eyes told her she best not underestimate him.

"Oh, yes, I suppose... I don't practice anymore, haven't for years. Mrs. Midoriya is fine, sir."

"Alright, Mrs. Midoriya." He nodded and addressed the officer. "Detective."

Vaguely, she realized there was a big difference in 'officer' and 'detective', but she was already being hustled down the all. Time was of the essence.

There were doctors already scrubbed up around the table. Through the crowd of them, she couldn't even see her patient. The detective passed her off to a nurse who helped her get ready for the operation. It had been years since she'd done this last, and more still since any kind of surgery this complex, but she didn't think she could forget.

"Thank goodness you hurried." One of the surgeons said. "Our specialist is out with the flu, and you're the only other surgeon listed with his trusted contacts. And... and of course there's your reputation..." The man blushed and Inko found her face heating up as well.

"Oh! Oh well um..." She was at a loss for words. "Since I'm the only one, we should get started."

She knew already another 'trusted contact' wouldn't make it in time. They told her that only the medical hero, Recovery Girl, was also on that list. But she wasn't even in the city. It was up to her alone.

Inko washed her hands, slipped her gloves on, and stepped up to the table.

 _Oh, my dear friend, what have you gotten yourself into?_

* * *

Ever since she'd been small, Inko Kawakami had been a worrier. She'd always had an anxious disposition, even as a toddler worrying when and how her quirk would develop. Inko's mother could create a moderate gravitational field around herself by increasing her density, and her father could telekinetically influence chlorophyll. She didn't want to have to worry about breaking things or eating honey all the time. Inko knew quirks, especially powerful ones, had their drawbacks. She'd been worried about her teacher, who tore a muscle using her stretch quirk in a crowded classroom. Quirks had limitations; of this she was well aware.

And at first, Inko thought her quirk was _full of them_. It was kind of like her mother's, but this quirk didn't make her heavier. They'd even had Inko try it while standing on a scale. And it wasn't like her father's quirk. She couldn't make the toys, keys, and books go anywhere she wanted. Her quirk did work on plants, to her father's delight, but Inko couldn't make them dance like he did.

It was good when she dropped her pencil down the drain outside school. That was the point where she started to see. Inko Kawakami could rescue anyone's lost pencil or stuffed animal or _anything!_ She could fish coins out of the couch. She could pull her friend's hat out of the river without getting wet. It seemed like such a small quirk, not anything flashy, but it had more uses than anyone realized.

The best part was that for all those kids she helped, Inko was a _hero_.

But, she still worried about school. Candies from the bowl on the kitchen table floated her way while she poured over her math homework. The little clock on her desk bobbed in the air, blinking 23:15 before Inko put it back. Her dropped pencil came back to finish the essay during lunch.

For a long time, she worried about her future too. Middle school was hard. There were more kids, more flashy quirks, more discussion about who'd be a hero and how they'd rank when they were pros. Inko worried she'd never amount to anything. _It'll be hard to,_ she once told herself, _with a quirk like mine._

The day after the big history test, Inko was walking through the park on her way home. She didn't want to think about how she'd mixed up her dates for the essay portion. Her friend Eri had mentioned the question during lunch, and Inko realized her mistake. The rest of the day had gone downhill from there. What if she hadn't passed because of that mistake? It was an important portion of the test. What if she failed the whole course?

Inko blinked away the tears as she played the impending conversation with her parents over and over in her head. They might just blow it off. They were very easygoing… But what if they didn't? What if they were _really disappointed?_

She was so caught up in that train of thought that she nearly collided with someone. Inko stopped abruptly and jumped back. There was another girl in the middle of the sidewalk, staring up at a nearby tree in concentration. Her hair was flowing out in massive strands, some of them climbing into the air in front of the tree. It didn't look like she was paying attention to the foot traffic either. In fact, she didn't even register Inko's presence at first.

Inko looked up to see what was just so important about the tree. She followed the girl's hair up into the branches. There… there was a _cat stuck up there_. Two sections of hair danced around either side of the branch while the cat batted at one or the other in fear. It looked like the girl was trying to distract the cat with one strand before grabbing it with the other. But the little guy had his claws in the branch. It didn't look like he understood what was happening.

Eventually, the girl engaged another lock of hair and 'persuaded' the kitty to let go. Her hair retreated from the heights and set the cat on the ground before returning to a more normal length. She smiled as the cat took off, and then noticed Inko staring.

"Oh. Hello there. That wasn't your cat, was it?"

Inko, speechless, just shook her head. She didn't know what to say after watching something so fantastic! That girl had an amazing quirk. Inko knew for a fact she'd have never been able to float the cat down.

"S-sorry for staring. That was, um, really amazing. You've got a really neat quirk."

The girl smiled. She seemed happy to receive the compliment, but there was something else. It looked like she didn't believe it.

"Thank you. I know it looks flashy, but my hair isn't very strong at all." She let it flow out, looking like some sort of octopus. "All the strands combined can only lift something that I could. They're kind of like extra arms, but if I wanted to pick up a bunch of things, they'd have to be small."

Her hair fell back. "I try extra hard in gym so I can get stronger and pick up bigger things. I don't know if I can be a pro hero, though. All the other kids in my class have better quirks."

Something struck Inko then. This girl had such an amazing power, and she could do great things with it. _But,_ Inko thought _, what good is a quirk if you don't think you can use it?_

"You've g-got a better quirk than me!" Inko surprised herself with the sudden outburst. She wasn't sure where this was coming from. "And if you get really strong, you pick up people and be a rescue hero! Maybe even stop criminals in their tracks!"

The girl paused, staring at Inko like she hadn't even considered those possibilities before. Suddenly she broke into a grin.

"You're right! My teacher says that your quirk is as amazing as you make it." She looked Inko in the eye. "And if you don't think your quirk is good, then… you just need to make it amazing-er!" The girl punctuated her statement with a fist pump.

"Oh." Suddenly, the future was wide open. _A quirk is as amazing as you make it?_ Inko remembered how she felt in elementary school, when her friends gushed about 'a quirk you can use every day'. A practical quirk, teachers had said. Maybe… maybe it could be _more_ than practical.

"Yeah!" The girl was getting excited. "We can be great heroes with great quirks." She gave Inko that big grin. "I'm Eiko Tanaka! What's your name? You remember my name, and I'll remember yours for when we're both heroes!"

Inko smiled. "I'm Inko Kawakami. I'll remember you, Eiko Tanaka, for when we're the greatest heroes ever!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's chapter 2! And as a heads up: We have canon ages for some adult characters in BNHA, but not everybody. That being said, I'm still gonna disregard canon ages and go full-on High School AU. Everybody's a teen! Adios, canon! Plus Ultra fudgery!**

Her parents had been thrilled, of course, when she'd been accepted into UA. The General Education department was illustrious in its own right and more than she could've possibly dreamed of. Beyond that, they said she'd have a much better chance of finding herself a nice young man. Nice as that would be, she was at UA for herself. Those kinds of things could come later, after she'd come up with a graduation plan.

Ever since that day in middle school, Inko had been working furiously. She knew that in order to make her quirk everything it could be, she had to learn. She learned about mass and volume (and density from her mother) but also about air resistance.

She learned that her quirk didn't get stronger. That had been a big setback. Though the definition of 'small' was a little loose, Inko could never float anything much bigger than a metal skillet her way. One loophole she'd found was that it didn't matter how heavy the object was- she could move it with enough effort- but heavy small things didn't crop up enough in everyday life. She guessed if a super villain could shrink then she could help out, but that line of though wasn't too fruitful.

Still, she'd made into UA. Maybe her quirk wasn't strong, but she'd been told all her life it was practical. That had to count for something.

Gen Ed orientation went really well. Inko tried to familiarize herself with the faculty, but it was easy since most of them were current or former pros. Like her classmates, she was plenty star struck. In the back of her mind, she was getting ready for the second quirk assessment that these pros would soon witness.

Studying for school was harder than studying your quirk, which you could learn in practice rather than in theory. This was Gen Ed. The second quirk assessment would require all the technique the students had been studying, whereas the Hero department seemed to gauge proficiency in only battle-type scenarios.

Inko sighed to herself as the principal dismissed the classes. General education was a good idea. She didn't think she'd be able to make it very far in the gymnasium with all those powerful quirks. Once she scooped everything into her arms, Inko dashed out into the hallway with the other students from class 1-C.

She didn't remember there being a huge wall right around the corner. It was like the school had shifted. Could it do that? Did the principal have a rearranging quirk? Before she could fall flat on her behind, the wall reached out and caught her shoulders. At that point, Inko shook her head clear and realized she'd run into a person. Two notebooks hit the floor, and she managed to shake her surprise.

" _OH_ , I'm so sorry!" she stammered out an apology to this individual. Inko saw the dropped notebook and hastily floated it upwards before offering it-

This guy was a _giant._ He was well over six feet tall and built like, well… the kind of guy you'd see in an action movie. Gosh, he might've been nearly too tall to get through the doorway. But he was wearing a UA gym uniform. Could he have a shapeshifting quirk? In the back of her mind she remembered she was 4'10'' and discarded the idea.

"No, I'm sorry," he said, voice strong but not booming, "I should've been watching where I was going."

 _It might be hard,_ Inko mused, _with that mop of hair you've got._ The tousled blond mess looked like it could impede anybody's vision. Though, it was clear enough in the front for Inko to see his eyes. Maybe that was his quirk, something to do with that piercing blue stare. It wasn't threatening, but boy did it make an impression.

"I still ought to be more careful." Inko held out the notebook. He realized he was still holding her upright and let go. The notebook was accepted and the strange student shook his head.

"I hope you aren't late for class because of me. I've heard the teachers here are strict. So far, that's proved right."

Inko frowned slightly. "Won't you be late to class as well? If we're going to the same place-" No, with a build like that he'd be headed for Heroics.

"Oh. I finished my secondary assessment a few minutes ago. My class has plenty of time to change."

Aha! _So he must be in Heroics!_ Inko nodded. She had to crane her neck to look the other student in the face. It wouldn't do to keep apologizing to his feet!

"Still, I hope you aren't late. I'll just say I got lost or… something." The warning bell chose this moment to toll, and Inko jumped. "Oh- oh, I've really got to run now. Sorry for bumping into you!" She gave him a little bow before snatching the other notebook off the ground and taking off as fast as her legs could carry her. That was _embarrassing!_ First, she runs into somebody, and now she'll probably be humiliated in front of the whole class on the first day… This whole morning was a disaster.

-\\\/-

She made it to class on time by virtue of the gigantic signs. It looked like to doors were big too, and Inko slid through the one marked '1-C' just before the bell rang. She scurried to the nearest empty seat and started pulling supplies out of her bag. First, the plain notebook she'd grabbed at the supermarket yesterday. Next, her pen- Inko's eyes snapped back to the book. It was black. She'd bought a dark blue… _oh noooo…_

The teacher chose this moment to enter and Inko wiled herself not to make the first impression the sound of her face hitting her desk. Repeatedly. She looked up from the stranger's notebook to find a normal looking man in a dress shirt and tie writing on the chalkboard.

"Good morning, class 1-C." His back was still facing the students. Inko took the opportunity to see if she recognized anyone from orientation. There was the girl with the glittery white hair and the boy with that huge, really soft looking scarf, but nobody else she remembered seeing. Then again, Inko had been awestruck at the sight of all those pros…

"Outside of class, I'm Neon, the Bright Light hero, but inside of class it's Shirota-sensei. Alright?"

Inko's eyes went wide. She thought she heard a few other students murmur softly, but no one said anything out loud. Neon was a well-respected pro. He had the ability to generate and control luminous gases like a living neon sign. It would be weird to think of such a vibrant hero as 'Shirota-sensei'.

"Alright." He answered his own question and got the students' attention back. "You're all 1-C, right? Nobody in the wrong room?" There were a couple of soft 'no sirs' and several head shakes.

Shirota nodded. "Great. Our time slot for secondary quirk assessment is 10:15, so we've got a little time to go over some basics." He moved away from the chalkboard to reveal what he'd been writing.

"All quirks are good for something." Shirota read off the board. "You're here, so you're obviously some of the best and brightest up-and-coming students. If you made it this far, you've got drive or talent. Either of those things will get you far in life, but without drive a lot of talent goes to waste."

He set the chalk down and walked in front of the desk. "I'm sure you're all aware of UA's Sports Festival, and the opportunity it provides for aspiring Heroics students."

A couple kids nodded. Since the Olympics had gone out of style, most people in the country turned to this event for their sports fix. It also meant that General Ed students got the chance to move up to Heroics if they did well enough. That wasn't something Inko was interested in, but she could see the excitement in some of her classmates' eyes. This was a second chance for a lot of people.

"So if you apply yourselves, you can do well there. But that's not what this department is, a backup for Heroics. Or Support, or Management. Don't let the title fool you. General Education is both a crash-course in the other tracks and an overview of the things they miss out on."

Inko felt her eyes widen. The way Neon- _Shirota-sensei_ talked about the Gen Ed course made it sound so much cooler! It wasn't just for kids who didn't know what they wanted or kids who couldn't make another department. Shirota-sensei made it sound like General Education was the track for students who wanted to know _everything._

"Of course, we don't go in-depth with the track-specific material. If you really want, say, a Support education, then this isn't the place to get it. But, that doesn't mean you can't do great things. In fact," Shirota paused with a smile, "I'm a product of UA's General Education department."

This caused another ripple through the classroom. Inko could scarcely believe him! A pro hero from Gen Ed? Well, it wasn't impossible, and of course people still became heroes later in life- like the Retiree Hero 'Laserman' who got his start in his 60's. So why couldn't a Gen Ed student become a pro? Neon was proof it was entirely possible!

"The point of General Education is to _get you an education._ There's more to life than flashy quirks and beating up on villains. And you'll be taking a quirk class just the same as the other departments, along with the core curriculum."

Shirota looked at his watch and slid a piece of paper over from the corner of his desk. "Which reminds me, we need to go over class schedules before the assessment. But first, I'll take roll. Wouldn't want to be missing somebody on the first day."

Inko made sure to speak loudly and clearly when her name was called. Last year, she'd almost been counted absent due to her soft voice. The rest of the roll went well, and she discovered that the white-haired girl was called Hidemi Yokomizo.

The rest of the names blurred together. Inko kept getting distracted by the more visible quirks in her class. There was a boy with dragonfly wings, a pair of what she figured were twins with light bulbs in their hair, and another boy whose skin constantly changed colors. Inko was glad she sat in _front_ of the kaleidoscope kid. It was hard enough paying attention during lectures already!

"Looks like we're all here… physically." That got a chuckle out of the class. Shirota gave them a light smile, like he was glad his joke went over well, and crossed behind the desk. "The first week is going to be simple, compared to the rest of the semester, but you'll need to pay attention. UA is a tough school. No matter what department you're in, you'll be expected to perform at exemplary levels."

Inko fidgeted with the cover of her 'borrowed' notebook. School was already hard. Now, Shirota-sensei was telling them to work harder… Inko pressed her hands flat against the desk. _That just means I'll have to find a way!_

"I believe you can do it." Shirota's eyes scanned the face of every student. "Every pitfall in life is a chance to learn something. I'm determined to make sure every student leaves this classroom with new knowledge, whether you stay in Gen Ed or not. And I expect you to put just as much effort in. Is that clear?"

Shirota got a resounding 'Yes sir!' There was that little grin again. Inko took his challenge to heart. She was going to get as much out of this course as possible!

"Alright. We've still got ten minutes to go. Let's go over the time tables before we hit the gym."


	3. Chapter 3

They had the same uniforms as the boy she'd met earlier. That either meant that the whole school had the same uniform, or he was in Gen Ed too. The latter theory was pretty unlikely. Inko let it go in favor of something that made rational sense.

Shirota-sensei herded everyone into the gym. He was still wearing the same outfit from the classroom. Inko supposed it wouldn't make sense for him to change. It wasn't _his_ quirk being assessed.

The gym was housed in a separate building from the main campus, but not inside the construction boundary. Shirota-sensei had said the school had commissioned an architectural project for future classes to practice in, but it wouldn't be complete for their class. Although, Inko did spot a mock-battle area, complete with a real-size building and craters from past practices.

Their destination was a concrete box closer to the building. It was much bigger than her middle school gymnasium, and it looked about a thousand times sturdier. On the ceiling, there was some sort of mesh covering the lights, and below that was a mess of ropes and lattices. That was probably more for students with flying quirks or some sort of airborne abilities. The walls had all sorts of holes and protrusions. Inko prayed climbing them would be optional.

The class crossed over a wide trench that surrounded the whole gym floor via a retractable bridge. There was a layer of plastic covering the top, but it was clear and Inko could see that whole area was filled with water. So, UA could facilitate water-based quirks as well. It seemed like they'd thought of everything!

"I'd like everybody to line up." Shirota tapped his clipboard against his arm. The tethered pen came loose and swung out to the side. He picked it up from where it dangled and poised it over his roll sheet. "We've got some equipment in here. I can see you're excited to show off your quirks, but let's try not to damage school property, all right? Most of the walls and floors are concrete, so take that into account. If you want any special equipment, we've got a storage room off to the side. It's got all the gym basics as well as a ball launcher, a low-power Tesla coil, some lights, and a few surprises you'll get to use later in the semester."

He scanned the line of students. "Let's switch it up. I'll go through the roll backwards. Yokomizo, you go first. I have everyone's quirk written down here, but I'd like to see what you can do for myself."

Yokomizo stepped forward. Her hair glittered differently under the gym lights. She expected Yokomizo to have a flashy quirk, but it could be anything. Honestly, Inko was excited to see what all her classmates could do.

After pausing for a moment, Yokomizo bent down and placed her hands on the floor. Suddenly, the concrete disappeared, and the class found themselves floating above a huge pool of water. A couple students yelled, but when no one began falling, they figured out what had happened.

"My quirk is Glass Touch." Yokomizo explained. "I can turn any object I touch invisible, but just that object. It doesn't work on connecting pieces or adjacent objects."

It was true. Inko could see all the metal supports, the plastic cover, and the bridge. Only the concrete block was invisible. It was kid of funny. Now her whole class appeared to be floating.

"That's really impressive, Yokomizo." Shirota-sensei scribbled something on his paper. "Do you have any plans for it?"

She shook her head. "It doesn't make the object disappear, and you can see through it both ways, so I don't think it would be useful. If I wanted to help the police see criminals through a wall, the criminals could see through too." Yokomizo released the floor and it changed back to normal. "I can't think of a good use for it."

"What about medicine?" A girl at the end of the row spoke up. "You could make somebody's skin transparent, and then doctors could see what was wrong with them!"

Shirota chimed in. "That's right. You could be that doctor yourself, too. With a quirk that allowed you to bypass an x-ray or some incisions, you could help save lives. Healing quirks are rare, so the medical field has to rely much more heavily on unconventional techniques. But with creative quirk application, you can do anything."

"You could see through boxes!" Another kid called. "If somebody sent a bomb in the mail, you could find it that way. Or catch smugglers!"

Yokomizo looked like she was blushing. It looked like she hadn't seen a wider range of applications for her quirk. Inko grinned. It was like Shirota said. All quirks are good for something. You just had to believe it, and have the drive he was talking about to achieve it!

"You're all on the right track. Don't all shout out at once, but if you have an idea for someone's quirk, you can speak up when they're finished demonstrating." Shirota finished making his notes. "That's what my class is all about: learning how to look at quirks differently. Since a majority of the population uses quirks, it's highly beneficial to know how to adapt to other people's abilities. Pro heroes do this on the fly, but it's also applicable in the workplace."

The excitement in the room was palpable. Everybody on the bottom of the list was getting prepared to show off their quirks. Some of them even showed off their quirks in pairs, like Sakurako Ueno and Yuuto Udea who were next to each other. Udea was the boy with dragonfly wings (with a quirk aptly named Dragonfly), but Ueno announced her quirk as 'Gravity Reverse'. Inko was starting to worry if the class would start floating again, but Udea picked up his partner and took off into the air.

The whole class watched as he flew all the way up to the lattices. He dropped Ueno off and did a few air maneuvers before stopping to hover. It was Ueno's turn. Inko's stomach dropped as she watched her classmate hook her knees on top of the beam and flop back. She was hanging upside-down nearly 15 meters off the ground!

Ueno let go.

Several students gasped before she yelled "Gravity _Reverse!"_ All of the sudden, Ueno was falling the other way. She landed on the beam and spread her arms in a 'ta-da' pose.

"I can only reverse the gravity on myself and anything I'm holding. It won't work on anything heavier than I am, or we'll both fall the wrong way."

Ueda flew over and they linked arms before Ueno deactivated her quirk and they glided back down to the ground. The whole class clapped for their performance. Not only was class participation encouraged by Shirota-sensei, but also it was fun. With some quirks, it was even part of the act!

They got close to the middle of the roll sheet. It was Takashi Nagano's turn. A short, plain looking boy stepped out of the line and went over to stand closer to Shirota-sensei. He turned to face the class and addressed them in a loud but monotone voice.

"Will you please group together, like you are fighting or in a mob?"

Someone giggled, and the whole class started shuffling closer together. The students who knew each other got more creative, some linking arms, some mock fighting. Ueno put Ueda in a headlock.

"Thank you." Nagano inclined his head. "Now," he held out his hands, " _please disperse!"_

Inko felt a jolt before being yanked bodily from the girl she'd linked arms with. The students gasped in surprise as they were all shot away from each other. Soon, everyone was equidistantly spaced across the gym floor. There was a round of applause for Nagano as well.

"That's a very powerful quirk." Shirota-sensei commented. "Do you have plans for it?"

Nagano looked up at him, still small but now puffing his chest out with pride. "Riot control."

Inko went soon after, having gotten a _crazy_ idea during the other demonstrations. She stepped out of the line, stretched out her arm, and floated Shirota-sensei's clipboard right out of his hands. She kept it facing outwards out of respect for other students' privacy, but the whole class ' _oooooh_ 'd and Inko found herself blushing.

She hurried over to her teacher and returned the clipboard. "I can float small objects towards myself, but I can't send them back with my quirk. It doesn't matter how heavy the object is, only the size. I can't float anything much bigger than a metal pot, and anything heavy takes a lot of energy."

"It's a very versatile quirk." Shirota accepted the clipboard and made his marks. "I bet you never lose your keys in the couch cushions, do you?"

The comment put Inko more at ease. She was finally starting to feel like she belonged.

Further down the line, Kyou Hisakawa stepped forward. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a rock. "Can I get some help for my quirk too?"

Shirota-sensei nodded. "Anything you like."

"OK." Hisakawa nodded. "Yamasaki and Kawakami, can you both come here?"

Inko nodded and stepped out of the line with the second student to have gone, Kyoshi Yamasaki. His quirk was Purification, which meant he could separate non-living substances from each other, as long as he understood the composition. Inko didn't know what they could both do to help.

Hisakawa handed the rock to Yamasaki. "Can you separate this? It's sandstone my mom got from Germany."

Yamasaki took it. "How do you want it separated?"

"All the way."

"All right." Yamasaki squeezed the rock and sand started pouring from his fingers. It was making a mess. Inko watched the grains fall to the floor and started to get an inkling about why she was called up to help.

Once the stone was totally separated into different sands (she didn't know _how_ Yamasaki managed to get them to fall into piles), Hisakawa turned her way.

"Can you gather them all up for me please?"

Inko nodded and began floating all the sand up into her palms. She could feel the exertion from pulling on so many grains, but it wasn't too taxing. In a moment, she held them all in her hands.

"Thank you." Hisakawa was tall, so he had to lean down just a little to cup his hands underneath hers. "Just drop them here."

After she deposited all the grains in his hands, Inko took a step back with Yamasaki. Hisakawa folded his hands together.

Inko expected some of the sand to fall out, but none of it did. Hisakawa opened his hands and there was the rock, good as new.

"Whoa!" She couldn't contain her excitement for a moment. "What do you call that?"

Hisakawa's face lit up. "It's Combination of Substances! I can make minerals of certain molecular varieties come together. I can also recombine any preexisting solutions that have been separated."

The class clapped and the three of them returned to their spots in line. This almost seemed like a talent show instead of a quirk assessment. And even then, there hadn't been a single negative comment towards anybody.

"Rina Fukui. Do you-"

"I have something to show, sir." Fukui stepped out of the line. Inko hadn't paid much attention to her so far, as she was fairly ordinary looking. Of course, a lot of ordinary looking kids had powerful quirks, but it was easier to be distracted by the likes of Tachibana Kazuo, the kaleidoscope boy.

Fukui had medium-length black hair, which she'd pulled into a ponytail for the exercise. Her face looked serious, and Inko was plenty intimidated.

"Do I have permission to engage in combat?"

Shirota-sensei nodded. "So long as your opponent agrees to fight and neither of you are injured. Would you like mats? This is a gymnasium after all."

"That would be safest. Thank you, sir." She gave him a quick bow and hurried off to the storage closet. Fukui single-handedly hauled out a stacked mat and stretched it out on the floor. She positioned herself at one end and swept her arm out to choose her opponent.

"Hachirou Matsumo! Will you fight me?"

The loud summons made Matsumo jump, but the boy with six arms didn't back down from the challenge. He stretched out his extra limbs and took his spot at the other end of the mat.

"What do you want me to do?" He shrugged out his multiple shoulder joints. "All my arms are only regular-strength, and I can't do any… you know… spider stuff?"

Fukui took up a stance. "Come at me with everything you've got!"

Inko wouldn't have accepted the challenge if she were Matsumo. Fukui looked terrifying, even without a body-modifying quirk or huge muscles. It was easy to see she was fit, but she wasn't physically imposing. Inko was starting to wonder what Fukui's quirk could possibly be.

"Fine by me!" Matsumo charged her with all six arms flared out. He struck out, aiming to push her over, but Fukui dodged. She grabbed one of the middle arms, twisted around, and in a few more moments had Matsumo pinned with all the arms behind his back.

Fukui paused before letting him up. She offered him a single hand up and he accepted. The whole class was locked in on the fight, but nothing seemed to have happened. It was a regular- albeit scarily well executed- takedown. Fukui turned to address Shirota-sensei.

"I am quirkless and I came to UA so I could learn how to combat all different kinds of quirks. When I graduate, I am going to become an officer of the law to defend citizens from villains and common criminals alike!"

Matsumo was the first to applaud. He had all six of his hands going together. The rest of the students joined in. Fukui looked like she was about to stop them, but she saw the genuine appreciation on Matsumo's face. Once the applause died down, he spoke up.

"That's really cool, Fukui. Police officers are the most important heroes of all." It sounded like a cliché statement, something everyone told quirkless kids who wanted to be heroes, but Matsumo followed it up. "My mom's a police officer. I've seen how much work it takes."

He held out one of his hands. "It's an honor to be in class with you!"

Fukui reached out and shook his hand. Matsumo helped her put up the tumbling mat, and the class finished up the assessments.

"Great work, everybody. I think you're starting to get it." Shirota-sensei stuck his clipboard under his arm. "All of you have demonstrated creative thinking and a good understanding of how different quirks work. There are important to know, regardless of the job field you're going into."

He glanced down the line of students. "This is an interesting world we live in. You're growing up in a society where everyone from bus drivers to politicians has a quirk, and you'll all have to learn to work with quirk users. Remember today's assessment when you're thinking about your future. You don't have to be an island. Using quirks in combination can be more powerful than any quirk alone. Now…"

He pulled up his clipboard and tapped it against one knuckle. "It's time to get changed. You have math next!"

 **A/N: Don't talk to me or my 20 OCs ever again. ha ha. there are so many**


	4. Chapter 4

In Geometry, they went over the course expectations with Physics Hero Kinetic Storm ("Fujimoto-sensei"). They were expected to breeze through a wide variety of topics this semester, so they could be ready for Pre-Calculus.

"I'm the physics teacher as well," Fujimoto-sensei- it was hard to call him that while he was wearing his hero outfit- commented while flipping through his lesson plans, "so if you're interested in Newton's laws, energy, and that sort of thing, you can take my class next year."

Inko made a note in her borrowed notebook, careful to keep her reminders to a single page. When she returned it, the minimal amount of pages would be missing. It made her think back to that strange student. Would he even need his book today? Would he care that they'd switched books? Inko figured she might as well track him down and apologize anyhow. They were basically the same book, and it didn't really matter, but it was the principle of the thing that she was concerned about!

The bell rang and dismissed the classes for lunch. Inko packed her things and followed along with the others. The cafeteria was massive. Of course, it had to hold three years of four tracks of students… Though each year held lunch at a different time, and of course, some students brought their lunch or ate differently because of their quirks-

A hand on her arm brought Inko out of it. She turned and found Yokomizo standing next to her, with Hisakawa and Yamasaki behind her.

"You're Kawakami, right? From home room?" Yokomizo had the air of someone who was pretty sure about what they were saying, but nervous about the asking anyhow. Inko endeavored to ease her mind a bit.

"Yes! You can call me Inko, though. Uh, all of you." She smiled at the two boys who were apparently friends with Yokomizo.

"Oh! Cool! Well, then you can call me Hidemi too! And I'm sure Kyou and Kiyoshi don't mind, do you guys?"

They both shook their heads. "Yeah, we're all in this together now! We should be pals." Kyou broke into a grin. The tall boy seemed eager to make friends. "Actually, we were going to invite you to sit with us, since it didn't look like anybody from your middle school was hanging out…"

"We didn't want you to eat alone." Kiyoshi chimed in. His demeanor was more subdued, but his attitude was friendly enough. "It's the first day and the logical best day to form friendships."

"What those guys said." Hidemi brought the conversation back around. "So what do you say?"

It was Inko's turn to be nervous. Oh, she was flattered and excited too, but first impressions were everything! She'd already ruined things with whoever the tall guy was after orientation. Which reminded her…

"Sure, I'd love to! But can you help me be on the lookout for someone? We grabbed each other's notebooks by mistake and I wanted to return it." She held up the black spiral.

Hidemi started steering the group towards the lunch line. "Yeah, we'll help. What's this mysterious stranger look like?"

Inko set the book in her bag and grabbed a lunch tray. "Oh, you can't miss him. I swear, he's over six feet tall and he looks like a pro wrestler! I'd be scared to go against him in a practice battle! Well, I'd be scared to go against anybody but…!"

Hidemi nodded sagely. "Big scary guy. But, he'll be glad to get his book back right? You might make yourself a good buddy in Heroics. Move up in the ranks."

"Oh, no, it's not like that. I mean…" Inko grabbed a little bowl of vegetables. "I don't think ranking matters. Well, they don't matter except to competitive people and those in the pro hero ranks. If you're good at your job, I don't think it matters how good you _rank_ at your job."

"You're totally right but," Kyou interrupted, "I like validation."

Inko couldn't repress a snort at such an earnest statement. "Fine! But don't expect free compliments! You've got to apply yourself like Shirota-sensei said."

They laughed all the way back to the table for one reason or another. Inko was glad she'd found a group. It was usually hard with a new school. And with so few kids even applying from her middle school… But this had been easy. She had a friend group, and class 1-C was already starting to feel like family.

"Nothing like rice, right?" Kiyoshi sat across from Hidemi while Kyou took the seat next to him.

"Yeah. I could eat it at every meal." The tall boy scooted his chair way out. Inko could feel his knee connect with the underside of the table when he inched his chair forward. "But, these… Is this cubed fruit?"

Kyou stabbed what looked like part of a watermelon. "It's so dense, like somebody painted an apple pink!"

"That's because it's engineered to pack an extra vitamin-licious load of nutrients into every square inch!"

The four of them sat up straighter. Was this the school chef? What was the medical hero Infuser doing in the school's cafeteria?

She seemed to sense their confusion. "I'm glad to see you're enjoying lunch! As the school's nutrition consultant, I stopped by to check and see how the menu looked for the first day. This is the kind of quality you can expect from here on out!"

Kyou took his fork and shoved the watermelon cube down his throat. Inko tried to keep her expression neutral. That kind of gusto meant _somebody_ was a fan.

"Delishuhs." He covered his mouth with one hand while stabbing another dense cube with his fork.

Infuser smiled. "Good to hear! Be sure to leave a note in the box if you have any concerns!"

Inko checked around the room to avoid making eye contact with Kyou and subsequently laughing until she cried. The comment box was easy enough to find. It was just a metal cube with a slot affixed near the entryway. She supposed it'd be good for anybody with a special diet or quirk specific requirements to make suggestions discreetly. Although, people with such specific quirks would probably bring their own lunches and regiment their nutrition-

"Earth to Inko? Did you spot your mystery man, or is it someone Kyou might like more than Infuser?"

She blinked and turned towards Hidemi. "Oh, no. Just thinking about the suggestion box."

"Why?" Kyou challenged as he stuffed another few fruit cubes in his mouth. "You got a problem with this?"

She glossed over Kiyoshi's muttered 'idiot' and gave her reasons. "No, I was just thinking how neat it would be for people with food-based quirks or dietary restrictions. I'm sure Infuser and the staff can come up with amazing things. There was a girl at my middle school who had to eat a dry baked potato every day because she was lactose intolerant _and_ her quirk wouldn't let her eat meat without getting sick."

"What kind of quirk would do that?" Kiyoshi poked at his rice.

Inko tried to think back. "I think it had something to do with plants. She couldn't process animal matter… Or it might've been a fluke, I just don't remember."

"That's interesting." Kiyoshi stopped fiddling with his food and joined the conversation in earnest. "You don't realize how much goes into food until you pull it apart. One time, I separated an energy drink and I was blown away."

Kyou made a face. "Gross! I steer clear of those things. Real men get caffeine from coffee."

Hidemi stuck out her tongue slightly. "Real women get energy from the blood they spill in battle."

Inko tried not to choke on her rice. Kiyoshi seemed to have missed this development and plowed on with his food analysis.

"I think it would be cool to work with scientists to pull apart and analyze foodstuffs. My quirk would make things much easier."

"If you were to work alongside someone like Infuser, you could get really creative." Their quirks were nearly opposite in function, but the more Inko thought about it, the more sense it made. He could remove potential allergens or any contaminated substances within the food. "You could make sure there aren't any dangerous chemicals in things. You could filter out poisons, couldn't you?"

Kiyoshi grinned. "That's something cool I've learned about my quirk: I can break things down how _I_ like. So if I took bread for example, I could get it down to flour, yeast, grain, all that stuff, or if it was tainted I could just pick 'bread' and 'poison'."

"Whoa." Hidemi jumped back in. "Think of all the stuff you could do with _that_."

"I know." It was the most enthused Inko had seen him all day. Kyou seemed to be listening too, but he had less to contribute in favor of gulping down food like a madman.

"We…" He paused to swallow the latest watermelon cube, "…only have so long to eat, guys."

They finished lunch in a hurry.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Welcome to the UA of the 1980s!**

Inko had folded everything into her bag, save the black notebook. She wanted to have it out, to be able to hand it off and run the second she saw the tall student. Any lengthy apology would be embarrassing. Taking a deep breath, Inko stepped into the hallway and joined the throng of departing students. _Hand it over, apologize once, and run. That way, everything will be cleared up and you won't have to worry about how angry he is with the mix up._

She got jostled into the scarf kid once, but he hardly seemed to notice. Inko pegged him for the bookish type- few friends and a quiet disposition- but he was turning out to be more of a lamppost than a person. If it wasn't for the hand-knit scarf he pulled on the second class got out, she doubted if she'd have paid him any mind.

"Excuse me!" Someone bellowed from further up the hall. The scarf boy made a half turn before ignoring whoever it was. Must not mean him…

"Excuse me!" The call came again, softer but much closer this time. "Um…"

She turned her head and _there he was_. The UA gym uniform was gone, replaced by the standard shirt and tie, but she recognized him immediately. Inko felt the flush race to her cheeks as the boy from Heroics grinned. He had sought _her_ out, no doubt wishing to reclaim his notebook.

"Oh! Oh…" Inko leapt into action, surrendering the spiral with outstretched arms. "I only used one page to take notes, but I've already torn it out and it's in my backpack. I'm very sorry if you'll be needing it later, but I hope you've made use of my notebook in the meantime…

She stammered out the explanation, only to find the boy wasn't angry. Far from it! He seemed amused by the whole thing.

"Well, I'm the one who needs to apologize then." He waggled her notebook in the air. "I had to take seven pages of notes in history alone! It probably doesn't help that my handwriting is far from neat…"

Inko felt more embarrassed still, though she couldn't place why exactly. The boy interrupted her spiraling train of thought with a chuckle.

"We have almost the same book. If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind if we-"

"Of-of course!" Inko brought the spiral back down, holding it as close to her and as far from him as she could. _Of course_ he had to take notes! Not everybody could be expected to get three lines into one… It would be easier if they kept things the way they were. Besides, it wasn't like she'd bought a fancy notebook or anything. It wouldn't hurt to let it be.

She looked his way again. "I'm s-sorry for the mixup anyway. If I had been more aware of my surroundings, this would never have happened!"

He didn't look like he minded at all and waved off her apology. "Nah, I should've been watching where I was going. Everybody was rushing out of the auditorium and I ought to know better than to stand right in the way. No hard feelings?"

Inko smiled slightly at the proverbial olive branch. "N-no hard feelings."

"I'm Toshinori Yagi, by the way. In case we ever… _run into each other_ again?"

Her brain locked up while trying to process that- joke? subtle reminder of her own clumsiness?- to the point that she froze for a moment. A car horn jostled her out of her split-second of panic and she managed to yell "Bye!" before turning on her heel and racing that way down the sidewalk.

Toshinori smiled. It was alright if she hadn't introduced herself then. He flipped the spiral over and ran his eyes along the carefully printed "Inko Kawakami" on the back. In a way, she already had.

-\\\/-

* * *

The semester started going about as smoothly as she'd expected. From Shirota-sensei's surprise tests of skill, to the ordinary variety of tests they received on the regular, Inko was barely able to keep it together. Of course, this would all be beneficial. One day, she'd look back on these hectic days and be glad her teachers had prepared her for the craziness of adult life. Right now, though, it was a mess.

She had taken to the library some days after school. It was a big, quiet space where she could focus. Studying here was a lot easier than studying at home, where she had her parents and hobbies to distract her. Here, there was solitude.

Oshrio-sensei, or as he liked to call himself 'the Database hero', shushed a pair of students in louder-than-acceptable conversation. Inko pushed her nose further into her textbook. No point in getting his attention by standing out.

Unfortunately, she couldn't avoid it for long. Four chair legs squealed on the wooden floor as the seat across from her was pulled out. Inko startled and looked up. It was the scarf boy, or should she say, the boy who usually wore a scarf but was currently without. It was no doubt stuffed into his backpack at the moment, since he didn't wear it during school hours. Dress code and all. At least he appeared to be following _some_ rules.

He took the seat and stared at her. Inko picked up her jaw from where she'd dropped it and hastily got back to her reading.

"You're Kawakami, right?"

Oshiro-sensei sent a 'hush' in their direction, but the scarf kid ignored him. It was odd, looking at the boy without his plush accessory. He was lanky, a little too crisp around the edges, and he wore his hair in a fluff of a ponytail. It was barely long enough to hold together, but the teachers seemed satisfied to let it be.

Once Inko got over her shock, she nodded.

"Alright." He replied in the same volume as before. "Can you explain triangle rules to me?"

" _Shhhh!"_

She blinked. "T-triangle rules?" she whispered.

The ponytail kid nodded. "Sines and cosines. I'll need them for physics." He was already in the process of getting out his book and papers, all the while delivering a more deadpan speech than Kyoshi usually did. "I overheard you and Yokomizo talking about how you're not going out for the Sports Festival, so I figured you wouldn't be offended. I need to ace this stuff so I can transfer into Heroics."

As… blunt as that was, Inko didn't feel offended in the least. The poor boy's logic made sense. After all, asking a competing classmate for help in beating them… At least he had _some_ tact. But the eavesdropping he might have to work on. _He's got no social skills whatsoever! He should get a tutor for that first!_

"S-sure." Inko fumbled in her bag for her pencil. "What's causing the most problems right now?"

He flipped through the book until he found the right page. Then, he turned it over and slid it Inko's way. "The pre-calculus part we don't need yet, but I'm having a hard time with these triangle heights and missing angles."

Inko heard a book slam shut before Oshiro-sensei was looming over their table.

"If you two can't use library voices, I'm going to throw you out."

Shrinking a good few inches down into her chair, Inko apologized. "I'm s-sor-"

"We're just trying to study." Scarf boy said, again at normal volume.

"Then use the study rooms!" Oshiro-sensei hissed and pointed at a row of wooden doors. _Oh_.

"Sorry, yes sir, right away." Inko shoved everything on the table into her backpack and grabbed the scarf boy by the sleeve. They were out of there and into a study room before Oshiro-sensei had time to lower his arm.

Inko held the knob while she pushed the door closed so it would shut as quietly as possible. "Alright." She tried to sound stern while still whispering. "Triangle rules, then…"

"Shouta."

"Triangle rules then, Shouta." Inko steeled herself. It didn't seem like he was doing this on purpose. He didn't seem like the class clown, the kid of guy who would get onto Oshrio sensei's nerves for laughs. And, he'd sought her out to ask for help. If nothing else, he certainly wanted to learn.

"If the height here is _h_ then you've really got 2 little triangles now don't you?"

Shouta squinted at the paper. "Yes."

"O-Ok." Inko wrote down the memory devices she knew off the top of her head for determining side lengths. "So if we have the opposite angle A, and C is 90…" In a few more minutes, she had the pencil in between her teeth while she flipped between the example page and the exercises. The pencil went back behind her ear when she needed to talk. Shouta hardly said a word. His face was blank, but Inko took it on faith that he was paying rapt attention. After all, he'd only be wasting his own time otherwise.

"For this one, side x and y are equal, so that means angles A and B are equal?" He made a light circle around the letters Inko had drawn on a sheet of scratch paper.

"Exactly!" Inko's face lit up. Finally, some feedback. Shouta seemed to be tracking with her pretty well. Occasionally, he'd throw something out there that even she couldn't answer, but they'd both write the question down for Fujimoto-sensei's class tomorrow.

Shouta snapped his book shut. "I think I've got it. Tonight's homework won't be so bad." He shoved his papers into a bright yellow backpack and stood up.

"Thanks." Without another word, he walked out of the study room.

Inko let her head fall on the wooden desk. _A social skills tutor. If he can pick up cosines this quickly then surely…_


	6. Chapter 6

"And Yokomizo."

"Here!"

"Great." Shirota set his clipboard down on the table. "We're all here. Who wants to take the attendance sheet?"

Several hands shot up, but Shirota singled out Suzume Ikeda.

"Can I use my quirk?" The feathered girl asked.

"Sure," Shirota rifled through his desk, "but only if you can take the quirk pass and the hall pass." He pulled out two key chains. One had a laminated bag of chips attached, and the other was clipped to the disembodied arm of an action figure. These passes were impossible to forge.

Ikeda hurried up to the front and took the key chains and looped them around her fingers before activating her quirk. Her body shrunk at a greater rate of speed from her arms, and she was able to properly use them as wings. Shirota-sensei handed off the roll sheet and Ikeda flew off down the hallway.

Kyou raised his hand. "Which one's the quirk pass?"

Shirota-sensei snapped his fingers. "The action figure piece. I'm _arming_ you with responsibility."

The whole class groaned.

Ikeda returned quickly. Her quirk, Sparrow, made the trip down the hall easy. She returned to her seat and Shirota-sensei took the floor.

"OK, class, we've got a guest lecturer today. He's taking time out of his day to come and talk to you so I want you to give him the same respect you give me. More even."

Shirota checked his watch. "He'll be here any minute. So best behavior. Nobody tell him about the time Kiyoshi separated my tie."

The class giggled and then quieted when there was a knock at the door.

"Oh my!" Shirota-sensei raised his voice in mock surprise. "Who could that be?" He crossed over to the doorway and paused. Suddenly, he flung the door wide to reveal… an elderly man in a red suit and enormous goggles. Under other circumstances, this might be comedic sight, but the class recognized Neon's old partner and professional hero: Laserman!

"Shirota, you old dog!" Laserman lowered his hand from where it had been ready to knock again. "You hardly need your quirk you're so full of hot air."

This last part was pitched low for Shirota's ears, but Inko and the whole front row heard him.

Their teacher plastered an overly enthusiastic smile on his face, presumably for the retiree hero's benefit. "Class, this is world renowned elderly hero: Laserman!"

Laserman entered and waved. "Elderly! Feh! Just because I retired from my day job _before_ becoming a pro doesn't mean I have to take guff off my old sidekick! Do you want me to talk to these kiddos or not?"

Several emphatic comments like "Yes, please!" or "Don't listen to Shirota-sensei!" burst forth from the class. Laserman smiled.

"Alright, alright. Keep your shirts on." He quieted the class and took up a position in front of the chalkboard. "I'm here to talk to you about how technology is revolutionizing the way we use quirks."

Inko knew the anecdote he was about to tell. Laserman was famous for being the oldest first-time applicant for a hero license. Born at the turn of the century, he developed a quirk that could make his skin highly reflective and malleable. He was able to help scientists pioneer projection technology and understand better how light refraction worked. It wasn't until the independent development of laser technology in the 1960's that he got his start as a hero. After retiring from his job as a scientific aide, he discovered a new application for his quirk and came out of retirement.

"Now I'm sure you all know about High-Flight hero Jetblack. Can anybody tell me why technology made him so successful?"

A couple of kids murmured. Inko _knew_ the answer because of her exhaustive research into ways she could make her quirk more powerful. Though the endeavor had been fruitless, she now knew a lot about the support industry.

Tentatively, she raised her hand. Quick and sharp as the laser he took his name from, the pro hero snapped and pointed a finger at her. "Young lady! How is he so successful?"

"He-he uh," Inko stammered, "Can shoot black fire out of his back without h-hurting himself and… and with his back-mounted focusing apparatus, he can harness the fire to fly."

Laserman cracked a grin. "Boom, got it in one. Jetblack's super backpack narrows the fire's exit and direction so it'll split to the sides and shoot down. It's like he's got wings now, right?"

The class nodded. "Yeah," Laserman continued, "So he took a powerful but seemingly useless quirk and made it work for him. But it's not all about tech."

He scanned the faces before him, making sure he had the class' full attention. "I didn't make upgrades to get my start. I may be _elderly_ , but my quirk is made stronger by technique. Application. I changed what I was doing to make it more effective. So can you all.

And here's something else." He paused again. "I wouldn't be standing here right now without the dedicated work of ordinary citizens. Without that scientific breakthrough, I'd be sitting at home, waiting for my wife to get back from work!"

That got a chuckle out of the class. "She ain't retired neither, and I reckon she won't quit for a long time yet. Might as well keep myself busy." More laughter. "But in all seriousness, society doesn't divide on heroes and not heroes. The industry we boast today wouldn't exist without the hard work of people who aren't interested in punching bad guys. So don't sell yourselves short. Maybe science makes a breakthrough twenty years from now that makes your quirk a heckuva lot cooler. Maybe it doesn't happen. But listen close, kiddos: if you've got creativity, drive, and a little bit of gumption, you can be the kind of hero society can't go on without."

It seemed like every student in the room was on the edge of their seat. This was kind of thing they had been longing to hear! For once, it didn't seem to matter that their quirks weren't flashy. Laserman wasn't telling them to settle, either. This was a challenge! This was a call to make a name for themselves in the world, one that didn't depend on popularity or fanbases or any of that.

"You, young lady!" Laserman singled out Inko again, probably because she'd been the only one so far to show willingness to speak. "What's your big dream?"

Inko froze. She hadn't expected a callout. It was twice as nerve-wracking too, on account of the person addressing her. _Pro Hero Laserman_. The words shot through her mind again. Inko swallowed and tried to blink the stress-tears out of her eyes. It was an embarrassing reflex she didn't want the pro to see.

"I want to go into the medical field!" She blurted. "I want to be a Quirk Doctor!"

Laserman gave her that same toothy grin. "That's a big dream, young lady." It wasn't condescending, more like an admission of fact. Laserman had probably seen his fair share of ordinary doctors and doctors who used their quirks for medicine. Inko wanted to be the latter, but she wouldn't get anywhere without the training of the former. Somehow, maybe, she could still use her quirk to help people. She could go back to the days where she was the elementary hero with a practical quirk. She just needed a way to get there.

"This is a great example of what I'm talking about. It's not just heroes and civilians; it's heroes and doctors, police officers, policy makers, chefs, firefighters, train conductors, waste management officials. It's parents and students, families, lawyers, taxi drivers, scientists, and pilots. Where would we be without trains and people to drive them? Where would we be without clerks and librarians?"

He held out his hands. "I was in the film industry forever ago. Look at me now. Dreams are still real even if they aren't your original ones. If you wanted to be a racecar- _a race car-_ as a kid, what do you think about that now?"

The class laughed, but they understood his point. This might've been where Shirota-sensei got it all. Laserman was teaching the same ideas that seemed to be so important in their homeroom class.

"Now, I uh," Laserman checked his large wristwatch, "don't want to make you kiddos late for math. Get on outta here, and make sure you apply yourselves!"

Scrambling for backpacks and supplies, the students of 1-C stuffed their bags and gave the pro hero a hearty thanks on their way out the door. Inko paused.

"Th-thank you for taking the time to speak with us." She gave Laserman a little bow.

The old pro grinned, and Inko got the impression he'd ruffle her hair if she weren't a high schooler.

"Go get 'em, Quirk Doctor. See you when I'm ninety for my hip replacement!"

 **A/N: Tune in next time for: The Slide Projector!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Welcome back!**

She found Shouta's seat in math. He gave her a small nod as they sat, and Fujimoto-sensei passed out the quiz. Luckily, it was over the material they had studied, but she still had those questions she wanted to ask. Shouta seemed quiet- not shy but not likely to speak up- so Inko figured she'd get the ball rolling as soon as the quiz was collected. And _of course,_ collection time was the best part.

"Everybody ready?" Fujimoto-sensei held up his hands. The whole class lifted their papers. "Pass them up!"

Collectively, they gave their quizzes a push. Kinetic Storm activated his quirk. The papers suddenly sped up and arched through the air, falling in a pile in their teacher's hands. His quirk, Energy Mix, could manipulate the kinetic and potential energy of any object. This could send a speeding object to a stop, or make a falling marble land like a brick.

"How do we feel about this one?" He asked as he shuffled the papers on his desk. They slid into a yellow folder as the class gave a mix of answers. Inko raised her hand.

"Can we go over congruency tests again?"

Fujimoto-sensei smiled. "Of course. I was going to review the quiz questions anyway. We can run through triangle proofs too." He pulled out the overhead projector from behind his desk. "Will someone get the lights?"

On the transparency, Fujimoto-sensei illustrated congruency rules. Inko scribbled down the different triangle identifiers and circled the ones that wouldn't work for a proof. She put a star by the SSA, since she'd mixed it up with the SAS on the quiz.

"With a non-included angle and two sides, there's no way to prove congruency. That's because there are two possible triangles that can be made. See, angle C could be obtuse or acute, depending on the direction of the final side." He drew out the triangle in blue, and made dotted lines for the potential second triangle in red. The angles he circled in green.

Inko was too absorbed in the proofs to check and see if Shouta was picking this all up. Hidemi was sitting next to her and scribbling furiously. Maybe they could all get together and make a study group. _Or,_ she thought, _Shouta could always get me thrown out of the library again._

The bell rang for lunch. Fujimoto-sensei shook up the spray bottle and Kyou turned on the light.

"Make sure to have those congruency tests memorized for next week's quiz. We'll go over complementary and supplementary angles again on Monday." He sprayed the transparency sheet and Inko watched the blue ink run on the screen.

Hidemi made a face as she put away her book. "All this in a month? I can't imagine what it's going to be like when we get to upper-algebra. And pre-calc… Don't get me started!"

"Not a math fan, then?" Inko grinned. She wasn't so partial to the theoretical stuff either, but she was going to appreciate geometric math while she had it. "At least Fujimoto-sensei makes it fun, right?"

They met Kyou and Kyoshi outside the classroom. "Glad you two took your sweet time," the lanky boy began, "Now we'll miss Infuser's cafeteria check. I won't get the chance to tell her how _delicious_ the vegetable medley is."

"Try again Monday, lover boy." Kyoshi fell in step with Hidemi and Inko. They had better things to do than bemoan a missed opportunity to flirt. For one thing, the vegetable medley _was_ delicious, and they wanted to eat while the food was hot. While they stood in line, Inko scanned the cafeteria for signs of anyone she knew from middle school. It was a habit she'd formed, drifting off while her eyes roved over the faces of her classmates. Once, she found her old friend Eri in a mob of Support students. They'd exchanged a wave and hadn't seen each other since.

She did spot Shouta sitting with some other students, but nobody Inko recognized. There was a boy gesticulating wildly in the seat across from him, and a girl with a perm dodging out of the way of a flying hand. Shouta was either listening intently or totally phased out. Inko turned back to the lunch line.

"-ko, hey Inko do you have a pen?" Hidemi pulled on her sleeve lightly. "Whoa there, space cadet, earth calling here."

Inko fished around in the mesh pocket of her bag. "Y-you're just jealous I'm a s-star." She handed Hidemi the pen. "What's the hurry?"

Hidemi _chortled_ , apparently delighted by both joke and delivery. "I wanted to get everybody's phone number before the weekend. Kyou suggested we get together and hang out."

"Oh!" Inko watched as Hidemi jotted down a number in her planner. "Can I copy them at the table? I don't have anybody's number and I don't think I'll be able to remember it on my own."

"Sure." Hidemi handed back the pen. "Depending on the homework load in history, we might be able to catch a break. Otherwise… I think I'll be holed up at home all weekend."

Nodding, Inko picked up a tray. "We could always get together and study. If we go over the period this weekend, we can have good questions for Monday!"

Hidemi made a disgruntled noise. "I'm more worried about completing the handout. Good questions or not, all of these 'John's are hard to keep straight. I liked national history better last year."

They followed Kyoshi and Kyou to the table. Hidemi passed over her planner and let Inko copy down the phone numbers. "Put yours in too, that way I'll have the full set."

"Collect them all." Kyoshi commented before spearing his broccoli.

"But wouldn't that be great?" Hidemi's hair sparkled as she flipped through the pages of her planner. "If the whole class gets super close-knit and we all become best friends and can work together and hang out on the weekends? And then we'll grow up and become young professionals and go out to dinner as a group and-"

She trailed off, looking up at the ceiling dreamily. "Who's the space cadet now?" Kyou chimed in, but he seemed to be considering her wild fantasy. A big group of adult friends. The whole class doing the kinds of things their parents did only once in a while. With a class of UA students, it was bound to be a riot.

"Sometimes I wish we could all live here." Hidemi came back to earth. "Then it'd really be like a big family. I mean, the Takenakas kind of already do that, but I'd want to have sleepovers with a group. We could play truth or dare and Fujioka could use her quirk to tell if you're lying…"

It sounded like a dream. "Well, if a bunch of newly-graduated singles need places to live, I bet the apartment complexes start ramping up their advertisements." Kyoshi eyed the address book. "I doubt everyone makes it to the same place, but if some of us find jobs in one region, we could try and book places nearby."

Hidemi wasn't going to let his realism rain on her parade. "Some of us could even be roommates… And if the apartments next door were other sets of roommates…"

They headed off to history next, their minds not focused on the past but the future.

-\\\/-

She floated the wooden spoon toward one hand while she balanced Izuku on her hip with the other. The noodles were nearly ready, but she felt more productive stirring them anyway.

Her son's eyes were locked on the rising steam. He seemed captivated by the experience, awed with the new sight as infants often were. If he was still hungry after his own dinner- or if the smell of new food made him fussy- she had a jar of mashed melon handy.

The noodles were done. She could feel that much through the spoon. Izuku wouldn't like the next part, but it was better to have him in his high chair than near the boiling water. Inko turned off the boiler and balanced the spoon on top of the pot. It was more of a cooking habit than a concern for the spoon, but even with the heating element off the pot wouldn't boil over.

Izuku liked the high chair about as much as she'd expected, but she was prepared.

"Look Izuku!" Inko crouched down to scoop up the plush toy from where her son had dropped it earlier. "Who's here to light up the darkness?"

Doctors said that bright and contrasting colors were good for developing babies' eyesight. Personally, she was glad Izuku liked the Bright Light Hero toy. If only her old teacher could see this now… He'd probably recommend other toys. Shirota always seemed to produce new and unusual hall-passes.

While Izuku was distracted, Inko strained the noodles and got out a bowl. She'd already chopped vegetables while Izuku was playing with his squishy boiled yams. Before she could mix up dinner of her own, however, the door chime went off. Inko's stomach growled in response.

"I'll be right there." She called through the house. Inko picked the Neon plushie back up off the floor. "You behave for a second Izuku. Mama's going to get the door."

She brushed her hands off on her apron, looked through the peephole, and unchained the door.

"Paging Doctor Mom!" Hidemi Yokomizo waved her fingers in greeting. "Your favorite nurse has an emergency on hand."

Inko pushed the door all the way open and gestured her friend inside. "I hope it's not too serious." She giggled. "I've got my hands full already." Her eyes drifted to the cardboard box on Hidemi's hip. It was sealed tight with packing tape, postage marks, and a second layer of tape where the first had failed. She recognized it immediately. Hidemi noticed the attention shift and chuckled.

"It's that time of year again. But this one's a little bit different." She held up her free hand to forestall the expected interruption. "I didn't look inside, I swear, but it's the outside that's significant this time. I promise."

The pair of them walked into the kitchen where Izuku was happily gnawing on the Bright Light Hero's foot. Hidemi poorly held back a snort.

"Is that Shirota? Oh my gosh, Kyou would have a _fit_." She set the box down on the table and leaned down in front of Izuku's chair. Inko glanced from the cutting board laden with veggies to the rapidly cooling noodles. Had Hidemi eaten? Would there be enough for the two of them? Did she care for carrots in any capacity?

It seemed like Hidemi was still one step ahead all these years later. "I'm sorry to drop in without calling. Don't worry about food or tea or anything." She smiled when Izuku wrapped his pudgy fingers around one of her own. "I've got to get downtown for a family dinner, but I wanted to drop this off before the weekend." Hidemi waved her free hand at the counter. "Get to your dinner. Pretend I'm not even here."

Considerate as the excuse was, Inko felt a little bad about not first offering tea. That mysterious little box had robbed her of all her manners.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like tea? I only put the kettle on a few minutes ago but…"

Hidemi cut her off with a smile. "No, it's really alright. Call me nosy, but I only have time for the big reveal. Think of it as a reward for all my restraint so far. Hasegawa made me swear to spill all the details since I wouldn't take a little peek myself."

It was Inko's turn to grin. She dumped the veggies and sauce into her noodle bowl and sat down at the table. "Alright. But don't embellish it. I'd hate to get a call about my 'secret American boyfriend' again."

Hidemi pushed the box over as Inko used her quirk to fetch the safety scissors from on top of the cabinet. "It was an honest mistake. It'll never happen again."

Inko turned the box around to get a look at the postage. Her eyebrows rose as she read. There was no cartoon eagle, no American postmarks at all. She double-checked the address.

"This shipped from inside the country!" Inko looked up to find Hidemi wiggling her eyebrows.

"Maybe this means he's back." She jiggled the Bright Light toy in front of Izuku again.

Inko readied the scissors, almost hesitant to slice through the domestic postmarks. But, Hidemi would have kittens if she didn't hurry up. Taking one scissor blade between her fingers, Inko cut down the packing tape and freed the box flaps from their adhesive prison.

It was packed to the brim with peanuts, as usual. Even if Hidemi had used her quirk on the box, she might not have gotten very far. Inko pushed aside as many of the foam puffs as she could without spilling them all over the table. Goodness knows what would happen if Izuku got ahold of one.

Under the packing peanuts, there were two bundles of brown paper. Inko lifted the first, smallest one out and unwrapped it. She couldn't help but to laugh out loud. Inko lifted the star-shaped, star-spangled glasses to her face.

"How do I look?"

Both her friend and her son dissolved into giggles. The glasses were outlandish, but so much fun Inko was tempted to wear them shopping.

"You look like a pop idol. If I had a pair of those, I'd never take them off." Hidemi was grinning, but her comment wasn't mocking. The glasses sure were loud, but not necessarily an eyesore. "What's with all the stars and stripes? Doesn't he always send you a flag-themed something?"

Inko set the glasses gently on the table. "My birthday is on the same day as American Independence Day or their Flag Day or something. I forget which; he thought it was funny when he found out. Now I have stars-and-stripes sunglasses!"

"Quick, open the rest!" Hidemi was entertaining Izuku by making his high chair tray disappear. "I don't want to keep you from your dinner long."

"And I don't want to keep you from yours!" Inko slid out the second paper package. It had a softer feel than the first, and it upset many more packing peanuts. She peeled the paper back to reveal a knit beanie, dark blue and embroidered with white stars around the bottom. It was subtler than the glasses, and considerably more practical.

 _"Practi-gal and Muscular Man save the day!"_

 _"I'm sure you can come up with something better sounding than that!"_

Her thoughts returned to the present as Hidemi reached out to feel the material. "American themed everything this year. But it's really nice. I bet it keeps your ears warm."

"I bet it does." Inko set the beanie next to the glasses and started drawing the stray packing peanuts back. "And you'd think he'd list a return address since he sent it domestically. I never get the chance to send him anything in return."

Hidemi took her hand back from Izuku and pushed her chair in. "Maybe he'll look you up now that he seems to be back in the country. Who knows?" Inko got up to follow her to the door.

"Yeah. I'll be sure to tell you if I hear anything." She opened the door and Hidemi walked out into the hallway. "And we need to get together for lunch sometime. I know I've been all over the place with Izuku."

"That'd be great." Her friend grinned. "We can compare notes on the phone. I know how hard it must be to get out with a new baby. We'll do lunch sometime, and I'll make sure Hasegawa doesn't go postal about your package."

They said their goodbyes through giggles at Hidemi's little joke. Inko returned to her son and her noodles and the box full of packing peanuts. So, her dear old friend was back in the country. But goodness knows where, or for how long.

She chewed her noodles. Izuku chewed her old homeroom teacher's foot. What a wild Friday night.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the delay! Can I make up for it with an extra long chapter?**

The cartoon roadrunner turned into a cartoon woodpecker and started attacking her literature textbook. Good.

Wait.

Inko cracked an eyelid. She looked at the window and then at her alarm clock and wondered why her mother would wake her at this hour.

"Inko! Sweetheart, your school friend is on the phone. Are you awake?"

Pushing back the covers seemed like a monumental effort, but Inko flopped out of bed and padded over to the door. She rubbed one eye and found her mother standing on the other side.

"Oh good! Wouldn't want you to waste a day off in bed." Her mother grinned. "I set the phone on the counter. Don't leave your friend waiting."

Inko blinked as her mother walked away. She yawned, trudged into the kitchen, and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She hoped the caller had been entertained by the sound of her dad's humming. He always got musical when he cooked.

" _Inko!"_ It was Hidemi. " _I was afraid you'd still be asleep. What time can you be here? Kyou is rounding everybody else up. Kyoshi offered up his house for the watching party, and everybody's agreed to use the commercial breaks to quiz each other on history."_

Inko yawned into her hand. "Slow down. What are you talking about? Who's meeting up at Kyoshi's where?"

She heard Hidemi sigh on the other end. " _Did you forget what today was? Inko! Everybody's getting together to watch the Sports Festival broadcast! It starts in an hour, but I figured I'd remind-"_

Wide-awake suddenly, Inko nearly slammed the phone back on the wall. She had to hurry! But first, she figured she'd need her parents' permission, _and_ Kyoshi's address. _Why couldn't she have reminded me yesterday…?_

"Hidemi! I've got to get dressed and have breakfast first." She put the phone between her ear and her shoulder and fished for a pen with her quirk. "What's Kyoshi's address? And I still have to ask my folks. This isn't much of a heads-up!"

There was a pause on the other end of the line as Hidemi thought this through, probably for the first time all morning.

" _Sorry. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and Kyoshi volunteered to host after you went home and… Sorry! I'm bad at planning things!"_

Inko couldn't fault her for that. They had been discussing a study session earlier- Hidemi probably just glossed over a couple of steps in her excitement.

"It's OK, but I will have to get the all-clear first."

Her dad pulled the skillet off the element and looked over his shoulder. "Within the city limits?"

Inko jotted down the address, thought about it, and then nodded.

"Be home before dinner?"

Inko nodded again.

Her dad smiled. "Have a good time, kiddo. But- breakfast first. I worked hard on this!"

She gave him a thumbs up and put the pad of paper down. "Hidemi? I'm good to go. When does Kyoshi want everyone over? I've got to eat first but then-"

Hidemi's squeal of delight cut her short. _"Great! Super! See you in like, 45 minutes? Is that cool? I'm going to head over in a few because I got so excited I made desserts…"_

The phone called ended much the same as it started, with Hidemi rattling off her plans and careening down this track as fast as possible. In all honesty, Inko had forgotten about the Sports Festival. Nobody at the lunch table was participating, and of her other classmates that had entered, she knew very few of them well. Besides Ueno and Ueda- who'd chatted briefly about strategy- she couldn't say she'd heard much talk either. Maybe her classmates were playing things close to the chest.

Inko went back to her room to get dressed, and grabbed her address book on the return trip. She jotted down the street and house number by Kyoshi's name, and copied his home phone onto her paper pad. Inko tore off the sheet and stuck it to the fridge.

"Here's the address and phone number, dad." She then opened the fridge and grabbed the fruit juice. They were nearly out of the homemade stuff. "What's for breakfast?"

"Nothing too fancy." Her dad flipped another egg onto a plate. "Scrambled eggs, natto, and the soup's almost ready."

Inko poured her juice into a glass and sat down at the table. "Next time you scramble eggs, wake me up so I can learn your secrets."

Her dad sauntered over to the table with a plate and a grin. "And after you master it, then _I_ can sleep in."

-\\\/-

The best thing to do was to wait outside until someone else showed up, Inko decided. She'd read the address over multiple times, but since there was no sign of activity in the house and no clues as to the other guests' presence, she figured this must be the wrong place entirely.

Until Kyoshi opened the front door. "You have the right house." He called from the porch. "Come on in. The opening ceremony starts in five minutes."

Inko hurried up to the porch. She could hear some sort of commotion inside; most likely from the great anticipation they were all feeling. Kyoshi shut the door behind them and Inko took off her shoes. The house was carpeted, cozy, and covered in picture frames. Inko found family photos, works of art, posters, and all manner of framed arrangements.

"My mom's quirk lets her pull carved designs out of wood blocks. She makes a lot of picture frames."

Inko nodded to Kyoshi, then turned back to the nearest frame. It was painted bright white to match the boardwalk in the photograph. "Who paints them?"

"I do, sometimes."

" _Is that Inko?"_

Hidemi's voice was instantly recognizable. "Yeah." Kyoshi replied. "Has the ceremony started yet?"

" _No! But almost!_ "

He gestured for Inko to follow him down the hallway. The next entryway opened up into a living room, and she could see a dining area peeking out from behind an adjacent wall. This room was also covered in photos, but there was a space tastefully spared for the TV set.

"Inko!" Kyou was sprawled on the ground but he craned his neck around to greet her. "You made it right on time. We've been going over the history flashcards Hachi made."

Hachirou Matsumo she remembered at once. The six-armed boy was seated on the arm of the couch, holding a different card in each hand. He waved three of them her way.

"Kawakami from homeroom, right? You can call me Hachi too, everybody does."

Inko waved back. "N-nice to meet you properly. Call me Inko."

Hidemi was sitting on the couch like a normal person. She had her notebook in her lap, but it didn't seem like she was in the mood for some review.

"I saved you a seat! Everybody get settled, the ceremony is about to start and if you talk over it, I'll turn all your shirts transparent come Monday!"

Inko took her seat and noted the boys' varied responses to her threat. Kyou started flexing but remained quiet, Hachi got off the arm of the couch, and Kyoshi simply said 'OK'. Hidemi was _really serious_ about her festival-watching atmosphere.

" _Ladies and Gentlemen, distinguished guests,"_ Principal Shimizu's voice rang out over the stadium loudspeakers.

"Turn it up."

Kyou, who was closest to the set, spun the knob a couple notches.

" _Welcome to the annual UA High Sports Festival!"_ The stadium camera panned out over the crowds. There had to be 20, maybe 30 thousand people in attendance. Inko felt a surge of pride as the music started to play. Principal Shimizu carried on.

" _To begin our presentation, I'd like to introduce our Physical Education instructor and this year's main commentator: Coach Nakajima!"_

They could hear the tinny applause coming in over the crowd microphones. Coach Nakajima was a popular figure. Though close to retirement, the Rebounding Hero was still a main fixture of the campus. The calm and soft-spoken man seemed a surprising choice for MC every year, but Inko had seen sports festivals on TV before. It was like tradition, now.

" _Good…"_ Inko murmured the familiar intro with him, noticing the others doing the same, "… _morning… spectators!"_ The stadium burst into applause again. Their MC was here, and it was time to start the show.

" _Principal Shimizu, I can't tell you how excited I am to be here for another fine exhibition of our students' talent."_ Coach's excitement was plain, though his delivery was serene. He could've been talking to the principal about the pleasant weather.

Coach continued, " _We have a mighty fine group of scholars competing this year. Students from all departments are bringing their best to the stadium, looking for a chance to show you what they're made of. I, for one, am eager to see them shine. How about you folks?"_

The stadium erupted again. Coach sure knew how to play to a crowd.

" _Alright. Let's get the festival started by introducing our first-years! Now entering at the North end of the stadium, the first-year Heroics students! Let's hear it for Classes A and B."_

Inko caught sight of several flying quirk users with camera equipment before the views switched to the stadium field entrance. A mass of forty or so students in UA gear emerged, waving and showing the crowd their game faces. Inko found herself scanning both classes for the tall boy she'd swapped notebooks with. She thought she'd found him- _who else was that big and tall?_ \- when the camera moved again.

 _"And right behind them, Classes C, D, and E of General Education!"_

The living room got loud in support of their classmates and fellow Gen Ed students.

"Look! It's Tachibana!" Kyou pointed at the bottom of the screen. Inko could just make out a flashing light, very indicative of the Kaleidoscope Kid.

"And there's Ueda and Ikeda." Hachi pointed out their flying classmates with two arms. "I wonder if Uena's in there somewhere. And keep an eye out for Rina- for Fukui. She said she'd try to make it as far as she could for quirk combat experience."

Inko nodded and fixed her attention on the screen. There were more Gen Ed students than Heroics students, but not by a huge margin. It seemed, like those of them gathered in Kyoshi's living room, that not everybody in Gen Ed wanted to participate.

Coach introduced the Support department Classes F through H, and the Management I through K who were gathering in a suite on the south section. One of the stadium cameras was hooked up to the Management room, which seemed a lot more chaotic than Inko had anticipated.

" _Let's give another round of applause to our first years!"_ The stadium responded accordingly. " _And now, please direct your attention to the North podium. Introducing our first stage of this year's tournament is our own Physics Hero, Kinetic Storm."_

"Aaah!" Hidemi exclaimed. "It's Fujimoto-sensei! He's directing the first stage."

"If you keep talking through the whole thing Hidemi, I'm going to fuse your shoes." Kyou teased.

 _"Welcome first year students!"_ The TV popped to a close-up of their math teacher. _"This year, we've decided to change things up a little. I know many of you watched last year's thrilling three-legged-race challenge."_ Fujimoto-sensei fiddled with the bottom of the handheld mic. If Inko didn't know better, she'd say the man was nervous. Delivering the challenges was an important part of the festival operation. Unclear instructions could result in chaos, like the '83 blindfolded maze debacle.

 _"This year,_ " Fujimoto continued, " _we're going to spice up the first stage with a change of tactics. As you can see, we have three open platforms in this section of the stadium. Your homeroom teachers have already provided each of you a number. Please proceed to the corresponding loading area!"_

The students quickly formed three mobs and rushed the platforms. _"Single file, please. There's no points awarded on how fast you get there._ " Laughter bubbled up from the crowd. It seemed to set Fujimoto more at ease. He certainly stopped messing with the microphone.

 _"Everyone in their group? Perfect!"_ Suddenly, hatch doors surrounding the platforms opened, and a mesh fence was raised out of the ground. It went up a good five or six meters above the flooring, and seemed strong enough to keep all the students inside. Inko watched as the cameras panned over the fences, pausing on the strange boxes mounted on every support beam.

 _"The theme of our first challenge is survival. As you can see, there's a barrier net raised around every platform. There are three exits in each net, clearly outlined by blue tape."_ Close-up shots of the exits flashed across the screen. " _In the event of elimination or an emergency, the playing field can be exited at any time. Hopefully, most of you won't have to use them."_

The shot reopened on Fujimoto. " _The name of the game is Paintball Panic."_ A thrill shot through the crowd, and their collective excitement was being picked up on the ambient mics. _"Each fence is armed with twelve automated turrets programmed to fire paint rounds at random intervals in random locations. Each player is allowed two hits on the limbs. Any third hit, or hits to the head, back, or chest is an instant elimination. For students with body modification quirks and mutations, 'limbs' constitutes as any nerve-responsive appendage attached to the torso or requiring a sleeve, arm hole, or pant leg."_

"I'd have to be pretty careful." Hachi commented.

They were presented with a wide-shot of one of the nets. Inko frowned slightly. Something seemed off about the setup, but she was having a hard time placing what it was.

 _"The twelve turrets are loaded with paint-filled gelatin capsules. Only capsule-burst hits will be counted toward elimination. Collateral splatter and non-rupture hits will have no effect on points or continuing eligibility. The time limit is ten minutes. Any remaining students automatically advance, and eliminated students can continue if they reach the point cutoff."_

Suddenly, Inko figured it out. Fujimoto-sensei kept talking about the twelve turrets, but for each platform she counted _thirteen._

" _I'm sure you're all wondering why the math teacher's miscounted his turrets."_ He got a chuckle for that one. Inko felt like he'd read her mind. " _Like I said: there are twelve turrets programmed to fire randomly around the platform. The thirteenth has a target lock."_

That got a buzz out of the crowd. _"Each of these special thirteenth turrets has a discriminating motion-sensor attached to its targeting computer. If there is any target on the field that stays stationary for too long…"_ Fujimoto pointed a finger gun at the nearest camera, "… _you'd better watch out._ "

"Coolest. Challenge. Ever!" Kyou slapped a hand onto the carpet. "Why didn't we do this again? Just sign on for kicks?"

"We have a history test." Kyoshi responded.

The stadium crackled with anticipation. Inko could feel the tension through the TV set as the turrets came online and assumed a sweep.

 _"Are you ready, first year students?"_ The roar of the crowd increased. Stadium cameras zoomed to scan the faces of the participants. Some seemed riled, while others looked ready to charge.

 _"On your marks, get set… Coach, commence firing!"_

Students lunged and the turrets came to life. Soon, the platforms were swarming. It was almost like watching something out of a movie. The flying camera operators took up positions around the mesh net, capturing the action up close. Inko briefly caught sight of Ueda swooping around, before he shot straight upward.

 _"What's this?"_ Coach gave the update. " _It seems we have some tricky folks in Arena Three."_ It was Ueda and a few others with flight or levitation quirks. They had maneuvered above the mesh netting and were successfully out of range of most of the random fire. About that time, the thirteenth turret came online. It immediately targeted a hovering girl and painted her bright orange.

 _"Did I say the thirteenth turret only goes after stationary targets?"_ Fujimoto chimed in. " _Stationary targets and, well, anybody who passes above the mesh netting, of course."_

The flying students dove back toward the mesh enclosure, but not before two more were eliminated.

 _"Points for creativity,_ " Coach commented, " _But they'll have to do better than that to beat this stage."_

Inko watched, captivated, as more and more students were eliminated. The remaining group- still well over three quarters of the competitors- had to exhibit some agility to stay in the game. She supposed that was what this challenge was all about. Instead of a test of strength or speed, this was a test of endurance. The competitors had to outlast their opponents and stay light on their feet. It would get more difficult, even if a firing pattern became apparent. The ground would soon get slick with paint. In a few more minutes, the very floor they stood on would turn against them.

 _"Check out the second arena, folks."_ The shot changed again, this time to showcase a spectacular act of cooperation. Hovering just outside the net, one camera operator followed a team of two students Inko didn't recognize right away. A boy and a girl had linked arms, and appeared to be popping around the platform at random. They'd appear again next to another group of students, only to vanish before a volley from the special turret lit up the area. Not only were they able to avoid most of the pellets, but they also seemed to be eliminating other competitors in the crossfire.

When the camera did focus on them again, Inko got a better look. The girl had light brown hair, curly beyond all reason and pulled back in a fluffy ponytail. Her teammate also had unusual hair. His blond locks were slicked up and back like some sort of intentional cowlick, and gelled in place to prevent any movement.

While the girl's back was turned, the boy opened his mouth and said… He said _something._ It was so loud and fast, Inko couldn't understand a word, but it caused a whole volley of pellets to erupt in midair. Paint splattered everywhere, but it was collateral, and therefore didn't count.

They vanished again, and suddenly, the pair materialized right there in Kyoshi's living room.

"Whoa!" The boy exclaimed. "Who lives here, Géroux my dude?"

The girl flushed, embarrassed. " _Pardon! Excusez-moi, pardon, pardon!_ " She grabbed the boy's arm tighter. "I thought she was a UA student, Yamada!"

"We're all UA. Gen-Ed." Kyou spoke up. "There's a test Monday."

"Fair enough, dudes." The boy, presumably Yamada, replied. "Let's get back to it, Géroux."

" _Ouai."_ She took a breath. "Toshinori Yagi!"

As soon as Inko recognized the name, the pair had vanished again.

" _There they are again._ " Coach picked up the commentary. " _Those two are jumping around like popcorn in a hot pan. Student records report, the pair consists of Hizashi Yamada- quirk: 'Voice'- and Hélène Natsuki-Géroux- quirk… quirk, uh, 'nom de lieu', I think. Both are from the Heroics department, Class 1-A."_

"Nom day-loo?" Hachi scratched his head with his uppermost right arm. "What's that supposed to mean? Is that French for 'teleports'?"

"I think it… um… it might have to do with people's names." Inko spoke up. The group turned to look at her. "I m-mean, she said that boy's name before they disappeared. Maybe she can teleport from person to person?"

"But then who's she know here?" Kyoshi chimed in. As interesting as watching their friends and classmates getting pelted with paintballs was, two students _had_ just teleported into his house.

"I don't know her personally." Inko stammered. "I saw her in the cafeteria one time. Sh-she might've been using a class roster."

Kyoshi nodded. "I think I've seen that perm around school, too. She might be the only person that has one."

Inko remembered she _had_ written her name on the back of her notebook, just in case it got lost. Maybe Géroux had a class with Yagi and saw it. Or, had he _talked_ about her? The klutz he collided with on the first day of school? Inko slouched further into Kyoshi's couch and watched the festival with determination. The sooner she could forget about this encounter, the better.

" _Here's another set of contenders folks. Looks like we've got another impromptu-team-up."_

The feed cut to one of the aerial cameras again. Inko recognized Ueno straight away, but not the girl strapped to her back like a backpack.

"Whoa. Who's _that_?" Kyou perked up from his spot on the floor.

Ueno was using her gravity reverse trick to get into a state of near free-fall in two directions. As soon as she got close to the top of the fence, she'd switch, and then again before she hit the ground. The girl along for the ride was doing maneuvers and defense, only, in a very unusual way. It seemed like her arms and legs were made entirely out of plant matter. She was constantly spinning the free-falling pair and using plant projections to block any of the paint. It looked like Ueno had been hit only once, and when Inko looked for marks on the other girl's uniform, she noticed something.

The plant protrusions grew and shrank according to the girl's will, but they were caked in paint. Inko thought back to the rules Fujimoto-sensei had mentioned.

"If those are her arms, then why isn't she out? That's more than a dozen hits." Hidemi gestured at the TV.

"Maybe they're not her arms." Hachi filled in before Inko could complete her analysis. "Fujimoto-sensei said any nerve-responsive appendage that sticks out of your uniform, right? Maybe those are just plants. If she can't feel them, they can't be hurt, so in the spirit of the challenge they don't count."

Hachi was right. The setup seemed to be designed after a real firefight, where one or two shots taken to the limbs could be worked around, but a hit to the chest, back, or head would be fatal. So, if the appendage doesn't feel pain, then a shot would be irrelevant in a real battle.

"So, she's got no arms or legs?" Kyou asked. "Or is it like, plant gloves?"

Kyoshi took that one. "With a quirk like that, I don't think she's having a problem either way. I've never noticed her at school, but if they do work like limbs, she might wear long sleeves to cover them up."

" _This dynamic duo is Sakurako Ueno, quirk: Gravity Reverse from Class 1-C, and Natsumi Iskikawa, quirk: Greenhouse from Class 1-A. Quite the team-up!"_

By now, a countdown clock graphic had appeared in the bottom corner of the screen. Only four minutes left until the challenge was over.

" _It looks like the elimination rate has increased."_ Coach commented. " _The floor is getting slick, and those turrets aren't getting any slower. But keep it up, young folks. You've only got three minutes, fifty seconds to go. Why, that's less time than it takes to run the obstacle course behind the training ground!"_

They did another close-up of one of the platforms. One girl was using the paint-coated floor to slide around at a higher speed. Another boy was covered head-to-toe in paint, but hadn't been hit enough times yet. The sideline referees were watching more intently as the clock wound down.

Several close calls came and went. Some fliers were even starting to take their chances with the thirteen guns. Inko knew there'd be a commercial break after this. They had to give these poor first years time to rest before the next event.

The camera shot changed again, and there, exiting the platform 1 arena, was the unmistakable figure of Toshinori Yagi.

"Is that him? That guy?" Hidemi piped up. Inwardly, Inko groaned.

"I th-think so." She replied. "We didn't talk or anything, but yeah, I guess it is."

Before Hidemi could take this in an unpleasant direction, Kyoshi interrupted. "He's got to be fast if he's made it this long, what with him being a big guy. It's a tight enclosure."

The camera switched again. "Did anybody catch his hits? What got him?" Kyou wanted to know from the ground.

"I think 3 limb hits." Hachi replied. "Or 2 limbs and a back. It was hard to tell. The camera wasn't focused on him."

"Man." Kyou said as they watched more people exit the stage. "Things must be getting hot in there. Anybody see Ueda? Or that girl with the perm?"

Cycling through various portions of the arena seemed to be the camera director's plan of action, so they didn't stay very long with any one competitor. Kyou thought he saw Yamada off on his own, but none of them had seen him so they couldn't say. There were maybe 120 or 130 students in there to begin the stage, and now there weren't more than 50 left. It was a real tough challenge.

" _Thirty seconds, students!"_ Coach reminded them. " _Hang in there, and you've got a free ride to the next round. As for those eliminated, Kinetic Storm won't be grading on a bell curve."_

It was funny, but they couldn't laugh for holding their breath in anticipation. After this, the hits would be tallied, and those who had escaped scot-free would probably have their names read. The countdown clock got closer and closer to zero. The turrets kept up their fire. Ten seconds. Five.

A horn blared, and the firing stopped. The turrets deactivated, and the mesh fence began its descent.

 _"Time! Well folks, it looks like we have students still standing. Please exit the platforms and make sure the sideline judges record your names. What a display, everyone. If you'll pardon my saying so, Principal Shimizu is giving me the kill-sign. Please stay with us, we'll be right back after this commercial break."_

 **A/N: Ta-da! How's that for an update?**


	9. Chapter 9

Hidemi went for her desserts. Nobody seemed to mind so soon after breakfast. They all wanted something to occupy themselves with now that there was a commercial break. And the flash cards had been abandoned completely. They might not begin studying again until the second year stages began.

"But the trick with the gravity reverse was the most creative, I think." Hachi finished. "If the judges are grading like I think they are, both of them will finish in the top 20 or 30."

Inko nodded. "Of course, they might give points to students who were more creative, but got eliminated earlier. I think they want to reward people for thinking outside the box."

Hachi nodded, and comically stroked his chin with one of his arms. Inko held back a snort. "True, true. I still stand by my ranking predictions. I bet they give less agile people more credit for staying longer, and more agile people weighted credit for not getting hit."

Hidemi came back from the kitchen with cookies. She'd made a whole batch and decorated them like various types of sports balls to mark the occasion.

"Roll me a basketball." Kyou was flopped back on the floor, eager to reclaim his spot after a bathroom break. "The orange icing is the fluffiest."

Hidemi flipped a cookie his way, and fortunately he caught it. "That's because I needed less food coloring for orange than I did for green. I couldn't quite get the tennis balls right." She frowned at the moss-green lumps sadly.

Inko reached out a hand. "I'll take one. Tennis was my favorite in elementary school." That cheered Hidemi up, and the cookie was delivered with much more care this time.

"Don't get crumbs on my carpet. Or icing." Kyoshi reentered the room with glasses of juice on a tray. "And don't spill these either. My dad might kill me. We have coasters too. Use them."

Everybody took Kyoshi's blunt commands for what they really were: recommendations made out of panic. They'd be as careful as possible. They all knew what their own parents would do if they had a whole group of people over. Kyoshi would probably be the one to clean up after they left. Inko made a mental note to try and fish up crumbs with her quirk before she left.

"What do you think the second stage is going to be?" Hachi asked before taking a bite of a baseball.

"Who knows?" Inko replied. "They like to mix it up. It could be a race, or a stealth challenge, or and obstacle course, or anything!"

Briefly, they all glanced back at the TV. There was a commercial for dishwashing detergent on. It wasn't time for the second match yet. They were all eager to learn which of their classmates had advanced and which were in the top 20. Those were nearly guaranteed to move on to the final stage, with the top five competitors automatically getting a buy. Some claimed the system was unfair to those whose quirks were suited for whatever the first stage may be, but the judges put in a lot of effort to keep the playing field level.

Inko remembered the three-legged race last year, and how it had been a stroke of genius in regards to fair play. The UA teachers and staff had handpicked pairs of students with either contradictory quirks or contradictory attitudes and paired them together for a 200m dash. It was a legendary display of innovation and teamwork for some, while others crashed and burned because they couldn't figure out how to get along. One of the more impressive combos was the heavy-weighter and the speedster, neither of whom Inko remembered by name. They'd figured out how to slingshot the both of them to the end of the course in one go, with only a few meters of actual running. Challenges like those marked the divide between raw talent and adaptive skill.

The intro music blared from the TV set again, and all eyes refocused on the screen. The UA logo flashed across the screen in bright blue, and Principal Shimizu's voice followed.

" _Welcome back to the UA Sports Festival national broadcast! I'm Principal Shimizu, joined in the studio by UA's Coach Nakajima. Let's recap the last stage, Coach."_

 _"What a stage it was, Ms. Principal."_ Coach said. " _I don't know how they come up with these things every year. If I hadn't been operating the switchboard, I wouldn't believe it was all really automated!"_

 _"Yes."_ Principal Shimizu replied. " _Kinetic Storm designed the setup himself. There was a lot of coding involved. You should have seen the punch cards."_

 _"That's all a bit beyond me, to be honest. But, you might be pleased to know that the computer takeover isn't upon us yet. We have seven students that managed to complete the course without so much as a hit…"_

Of the names he read off, Inko only recognized Hizashi Yamada and Setsuko Kawaguchi. The latter was in her class, a girl with the ability to control up to her own weight in independent liquids. It seemed like the both of them had figured out a bulletproof strategy in their own arenas.

"I guess Kawaguchi managed to hold out until there was enough paint for her to make a shield out of. After that, I don't think it would matter. She could go wherever." Kyoshi commented.

Kyou frowned. "Couldn't she like, use that to control people's blood? Like, anybody whose blood weighed less than her?"

"Nah." Hachi fielded the question. "She can only do stuff outside of a system. Like spilled water. Remember the quirk evaluation?"

"Only kind of." Kyou admitted. "I was so nervous I don't think I was able to pay attention to anybody's except Inko and Kyoshi, because they gave me quirk ideas. And Nagano. Couldn't _not_ pay attention to him."

That was true. Nagano's was a hard quirk to miss. That made Inko wonder. "Did anybody see him in there? He'd be hard _not_ to spot, right?"

Hachi started nodding. "No, you're right, I didn't see him. I guess we could always ask Monday, right? Unless he got out really early. Maybe we'll spot him in the second stage."

The fanfare music played again, and their attention was brought back to the screen. Coach was announcing the second stage. " _…And if you'll direct your attention to the South end of the stadium…"_ The camera swept over the arena, passing both the first stage area and the final stage platform before settling on what looked like a maze.

"Holy cow! Is that Gran Torino?"

The whole living room was transfixed as the pro hero, the legend himself, stepped up to the microphone. Startling as Kyou's outburst had been, they were all feeling a little star-struck. It was like he was standing _right there_ in front of them. One of Japan's finest heroes was announcing the second stage!

Hidemi almost screamed. She managed to keep her cool, whispering an astonished, "Is that really him?" before Kyoshi shushed her. Eyes wide, they fixed their attentions on the screen.

 _"Morning, everyone. Or is it afternoon? Eh…"_ Torino waved his hand dismissively. He looked older than any picture Inko had seen of him. On TV, he seemed plenty imposing. There were grey streaks in his hair but… He _was_ still Gran Torino.

 _"Anyway."_ The pro cleared his throat. " _Stage 2 is about speed and teamwork."_ His delivery was much more clipped than Fujimoto's. It almost, well, it almost seemed like he didn't want to be there.

 _"You can all see the maze here."_ The camera cut to a wide shot of the structure. It was massive, built with a variety of materials presumably to add difficulty. From this angle it seemed like it was meant to be as diverse an environment as they were capable of making it. There were portions with water, sheer cliff faces, even trees in some spots.

Gran Torino cleared his throat. " _Yeah. It's got a lot of hidden features. Basically, you'll be doing a relay exercise. Each team of four will have to make four trips, changing a team member at each checkpoint."_ The camera moved again to reveal the students lined up on either end of the maze. " _The first person to go will have to complete one trip across, the second will have to go back, and so on. Then, when all four members of the team have made it…"_

Torino turned and pointed toward the west side of the maze, where a spotlight lit up a platform. " _You all have to go through the tough part together. You lose somebody in there, you don't finish. Once the whole team can cross together, you're done."_

It seemed this challenge had a more… somber introduction than the others. Inko didn't know whether it was Torino's delivery or the harshness of the challenge. As the pro hero paused, there was a tense silence in the stadium for reasons Inko couldn't quite put her finger on. Then, the phone rang.

"I got it, I got it." Kyoshi hopped up after the others had startled. Inko could hear him answering the phone in the kitchen.

"Hey Inko!" He called. "It's your parents! Your mom says your dad locked them out of the house and dropped his keys down the storm drain."

She dropped her face into her hands. Of all the…! Sometimes, her dad was such a klutz it was unbelievable. If it wasn't a spill or an accident, it was something like this. She loved her dad, really, but things like this were embarrassing. Kyoshi offered her the phone, and her mother explained that they were calling from the neighbors' house. There was also a bit of a rush, seeing as how her mother had left the oven on.

" _It's on low, sweetie, but I'd rather get to it was soon as possible."_

Inko promised she'd get home as quickly as she could before hanging up. The whole living room was looking at her, waiting for the bad news.

"I guess I'll run back home and take care of it…" On screen, Gran Torino was about to release the teams. Inko sighed. She'd miss the whole second event in transit, and couldn't possibly make it back for the third. "We can talk about it on Monday. Could you guys fill me in?"

"Yeah!" Hidemi spoke up quickly. "We'll give you a play-by-play report on everything cool that happens. _Especially_ if it happens with a certain someone." She waggled her fingers in a mischievous farewell. It did wonders to lighten the mood.

Hachi waved his right set of arms. "Before you go, take my flashcard cheat sheet. I made it to keep track of my cards while I was writing them out. This way, maybe you could study on the way home and not lose time."

"Oh! Are you sure? Thank you!" Inko took the piece of paper and folded it up safely in her bag. She'd not taken down an easily studied set of notes, nor had she created a study guide. This would save her a ton of work and time. "I'm really sorry for leaving like this."

Kyoshi waved his hand. "Family emergency. It's cool. Now go, so you can at least catch the third event from your house. We'd hate to make you miss it."

Inko said the rest of her farewells and started back to the train station. It was half an hour to home, provided she timed this correctly. She'd miss more of the festival if she got there just as the train left, but it wouldn't be terribly long before the next one arrived.

She legged it to the station. Thankfully, everything was running on time today, and Inko managed to hop onboard just before the doors started closing. It wasn't a peak time, so the train was sparsely populated. She took a seat fairly close to the door. Hopefully, the oven was on as low as her mother claimed. There wasn't any _immediate_ danger true, but it was still worrisome.

Her quiet thoughts were interrupted by a sharp _pop_ and the appearance of another passenger on the train. A girl with a perm, a towel, and a paint-splattered UA uniform had materialized in the seat next to her. It was… Inko was pretty sure her name was 'Géroux', or something like that.

"So _you_ are the 'Inko Kawakami' spoken of by Yagi." She draped the towel across an empty seat and looked around at the train. "I was not sure if it was you or the girl with the white hair."

Inko was a little too surprised to speak. Just what in the world was going on here?

Géroux continued talking anyway. "I resigned from the competition. It would be not honest to continue, yes? After I have traveled outside the boundary using the name of a person I do not know, I could not continue for the shame!" She didn't seem irritated with Inko, only herself. "It is part of my quirk, the knowing of where I go."

"Oh." Was all Inko could think to say.

"Yamada, he offered to resign as well. I told this to him, that it was my fault alone; but he is very smart, that one. He told to the principal how a real hero team faces the consequences of their teammates actions. I am thinking that she almost let him get away with it."

That _was_ awfully upright of him to turn himself in. Both of them, really. Inko sat there for a moment, thinking about how crazy it was to be the indirect cause of all this. If she hadn't run into Yagi on the first day of school, then he wouldn't have her notebook and Géroux wouldn't have seen her name and she and Yamada would never have exited the boundaries of the arena to begin with!

"I-I hope something good comes out of this, for you." Inko said at last. "Honesty goes a long way with people, I think… and, and if the principal can trust you with this then maybe she can uh… Maybe if something happens, you'll have the benefit of the doubt."

Géroux grinned. "That sounds almost like an apology. Too close to an apology for me, Inko Kawakami! I have taken the responsibility for my quirk and I will do it again! Let me do for you a favor. Where are you going on this train?"

Inko stammered. "I'm-I'm headed home. Just home. To help my parents. M-my dad locked them both out of the house."

"We can get there right now!" Géroux offered out her hand. "Your father is Kawakami too, yes? And his given name?"

"Oh, um, yes. It's Shiori." Inko took the offered hand hesitantly.

"C'est bon!" Géroux smiled. "Shiori Kawakami!"

Inko didn't feel anything at first, which was an odd sensation. Then, she could feel a pull, like when she used her quirk on too many little things. A little tingling spread from her hand to the rest of her body then receded instantly with a flash of light.

She and Géroux were standing in her neighbor's kitchen. Her parents were sitting at the table with old Ms. Maki, having tea. Her father nearly dropped his teacup.

"Hi dad, hi mom." Inko spoke quickly. "This is Géroux, from school, and she offered to help me get here more quickly so I could get the keys before the house burns down."

Géroux waved, bemused.

"Oh." Her dad replied. "That's… nice, Inko. How about we go... check that storm drain."

He ushered the pair of them outside while Inko's mom checked to make sure Ms. Maki was still breathing.

"Thank you again." Inko turned to Géroux once they were outside. "It would've taken me another twenty minutes on the train."

"It was nothing. I will see you at school, perhaps? Maybe after this history test I have not studied for… We have not studied much in 1-A, I think. With all of the excitement surrounding the festival…"

A light bulb went off in Inko's head. "I think I can help!" She fished out Hachi's cheat sheet from her pocket. "You can study this! We went over flashcards at Kyoshi's house before. This might help you better prepare."

Géroux took the paper and examined it. "Oh, these are very good. I remember some of these things, but not all. Thank you, Kawakami. You have saved the grades of all of 1-A! Or, at least, all of 1-A that I like!" She giggled and Inko chuckled back, suddenly rethinking her decision.

"Well, I will go back to watch the end of the festival and let you help Mr. Kawakami get the keys and stop the house from burning, yes?" She waved the hand with the paper in it. " _Au revoir!_ Hizashi Yamada!" And with that, she disappeared.

Inko's dad watched the whole exchange from the sidewalk. "Now _that's_ a quirk I wish I had. You could jump into the drain, and then I could just teleport between you and your mother to get the keys back."

She didn't dignify that with a response.


	10. Not Giving Up!

**A/N:**

 **Hey all y'all! I accidentally took the whole summer off and did not write a dang thing, as I'm sure you're well aware. I DO have plans for this story, and we can call this a kind of halfway point. Things from here on out are going to change, as I intended the plot to do from the beginning. Let's call the long hiatus a segway in between Parts of this epic tale.** **So, Yes, this is the shortest chapter in the entire work, and the reason for that is I wanted to update as quickly as possible even though the true "Chapter 10" isn't finished yet. But don't worry, guys, it's definitely on the way. There will be big stylistic changes and a time-skip, and this is the best way I think I can pull that off.** **No worries though, we're not done with Inko and the Gang at UA yet!**

"Hey."

Inko stopped. She was wondering if she'd see him again, when, and what had happened in between.

"It's been a while." Truth be told, she was suspicious he'd left the school for a while, until she spotted that unmistakable hair in the cafeteria. It seemed like he ran with the same crowd as before, only…

"Yeah." Shouta shifted his backpack strap. "I didn't want to be weird about it, but thanks. You helped me get my grades up enough for the staff to consider my transfer. Class 1-B." There was a hint of a grin on his face. "I got into the Hero Program. I earned a shot in the Sports Festival, but you definitely helped."

She wasn't sure what to think. It seemed like those few hours on and off really made a difference. Odd, that a time that felt less like a study session and more like pulling teeth would have so much of an impact but... Inko was glad. She didn't know if Shouta dreamed of being a hero, or what his goals were in any sense. But she had made a difference. Suddenly, the long absence seemed shorter.

It meant he was doing well. He was fitting in, making friends, and obviously doing better in whatever maths course he was enrolled in now. Funny, and here she thought she was just helping him with some angles. Maybe this was a little what it was like being in Support. A little extra work and patience paid off in a way she couldn't have predicted. Largely because Shouta hadn't told her anything but-

He turned to leave. "Thanks. I'll be seeing you less, but I appreciate your help."

Inko was a little startled by this abrupt hello, abrupt goodbye. She stuck her hand up in a half-wave. He was nice, even though he was silent and a little closed off. Probably shy or awkward in a different way than she was.

"See you around."

It was the first sign that things were changing, and they were changing in a big way.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: HECK! HECKIN,,,, DID NOT CROSS UPDATE! No author's notes for the next 13 chapters because ya gal hecked it and didn't update simultaneously with AO3. Sorry**

Field Medicine wasn't her idea of a great time. In fact, it wasn't what she planned on doing at all. But Inko knew she was at a slight disadvantage. She was here to make up for it.

"Move those keisters, kids!" Recovery Girl sat under an umbrella, relaxing as the special elective students ran the obstacle course. It wasn't the traditional training environment, but it was a stroke of genius that made Inko appreciate the wisdom behind the motherly disposition. When the Hero classes finished destroying something, and before the cleanup crews were slotted to make repairs, Recovery Girl's after-school electives course hit the ground running.

Inko hadn't gotten used to the weighted backpack quickly. It was a hard journey, uphill every step. But, she knew she wanted an edge. There was only so much she could do with her quirk. What she needed more than anything else was experience. There was no better way to get that experience than putting in the extra hours. This _would_ pay off.

She hit the wall just after Hidemi, and crouched to make an improvised foothold with her hands. "No rules against teamwork."

They were both dripping sweat, soaked in their athletic uniforms and exhausted from carrying the 'medical kits' all around the empty warzone. Most of the students who signed up for this had designs on med school, or the quirks to facilitate a fast-pass into the medical industry. The pair trying to vault the toppled mass of concrete and rebar had neither.

"I'll pull you up after." Hidemi took a deep breath and used Inko's hands to reach the top of the obstacle. She paused, caught her breath, and leaned down to give Inko a hand up. "Use that crack in the middle to push yourself up. It'll hold."

Inko nodded her thanks and took the offered hand. They were getting close to the finish line. She was pretty sure the kid with the stretchy legs had already finished, but it wasn't about timing, she was almost certain. Of course they had to be fast, but they also had to think and be ready to handle anything the course threw at them.

" _Injured civilian, ladies, get moving!"_

The megaphone had become the bane of their existence, but Recovery Girl _could_ leave it be and not tell them about things like this. Let them blunder their way through without giving them a heads up about the challenges that lie ahead.

"I wonder who she got for extra credit now?" Hidemi led the way off the other side of the concrete barrier. She waited for Inko to shop down. Better they both left together than some accident happen while either of their back were turned. The first day on the 'improvised course', a girl got her foot caught in a crack in the foundation without anyone seeing. They had to send in an _actual_ rescue party after two hours.

"Could be anyone." Inko dusted off her shirt and started forward. They would have to diagnose and treat whichever injuries their civilian had acquired. Mostly it involved red paint and the correct first-aid technique, but Recovery Girl would occasionally throw in a few curveballs.

The pair rounded the corner in the marked off course and found their patient.

"Ladies."

"Kyou, you have perfect grades."

He grinned, laying on the ground before them in a costume covered in red paint. "Perfect grades and something _terribly wrong_ with my leg. Oh dear, I seem to be in need of medical-"

" _Quit chatting! The clock is ticking!"_

Inko bent down to get a look at the paint marker. It wasn't haphazardly thrown on like something in a theatre production, but carefully applied to simulate and very real and very specific type of injury.

"Looks like something fell on you, Mister Civilian." Hidemi opened her kit and got out the obnoxious orange bandage they used to be able to mark a treated injury.

"Let's check for any particles in the wound." Inko carefully searched around the fabric for any black tape, rhinestones, or the usual odds and ends that got stuck on to remind them to check the injury site. Clear. She pulled out the can of aerosol food coloring anyway. "Better safe than sorry."

In this part of training, it was important to have the procedure down. That was what Recovery Girl drilled primarily- procedure. None of this was real medicine, and none would hold up in a real situation, but she never stopped reminding them the importance of the basics.

"I hate this stuff." Kyou complained. "Never scrubs off my skin easy."

"Better that than an infection, pal." Hidemi unrolled the brightly dyed bandage and started making sure she properly bound the injury. It _would_ be checked.

Inko, meanwhile, got to her feet and surveyed the rest of the terrain. Odds are, they'd have to carry him to the finish line.

"Hey take it easy! I'm not really bleeding here!"

If it weren't for Recovery Girl's eagle eye, she'd be tempted to leave him. Inko make a full turn, then half a turn again before spotting what she was after: One of the kids in 1-B had a quirk that let her melt through inorganic matter. There was a suspiciously clean hole in the rubble dead ahead.

"I found the way to the finish line!" Inko pointed towards their escape route before returning to Kyou's side. "Are you in any condition to crawl a short distance, sir?"

Kyou blinked before recalling the response. "Only a few meters. I'm in terrible pain and I don't think I have the energy for that kind of trip."

Hidemi nodded to Inko. "You ready?"

"Ready!"

"Alright!" Hidemi clapped. "Sir, we are going to carry you to safety. Please alert us to any pain or changes to your injury!"

She was getting into it. Kyou saluted, equally enthused by the exercise. "Yes ma'am! Let's get this show on the road!"

Inko and Hidemi made a seat for him out of their arms, adjusting so that his weight was distributed evenly between them. Then it was a less than easy journey to their classmate's workaround solution.

"I'll go through first." Inko sized up the escape route and started to climb through. "Mister civilian," she bit back a giggle, "if you would follow me. Hidemi, you bring up the rear."

All in all, it was a fairly painless journey the rest of the way through. The pair of Medics in training managed to get their 'patient' across the line in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, the fun didn't stop there.

"Kawakami and Yokomizo!" There was an upperclassman, a girl with white pink hair drawn up into a wide bun, waiting to give them their score. She clicked her stopwatch. "15 minutes, 49 seconds! Not a bad time, all things considered." She jotted down the time and made another note. "Of course, small talk with a patient can be commendable, but in this circumstance the objective is to complete the course in a manner that saves time rather than prioritizes-"

Recovery Girl chose that moment to holler at them. "Mizushima! Give them their report and let them be on their way. It's nearly dark!"

Mizushima actually blushed. Inko didn't mind the long-winded reports the older girl gave, since they were intended to be helpful. She knew it irked some of the other kids in this elective course. But, at the end of the day, Mizushima in 2-A was Recovery Girl's top student by a long shot. What she had to say did carry some weight.

"You passed. If I'm going to be quick, exemplary work. You did not sacrifice ethics for speed, though in the future consider streamlining your patient chatter."

Inko, Hidemi, and Kyou were free to go. Mizushima stamped his credit slip and they were all on their way.

Hidemi stretched her arms over her head as they walked. "At what point do you stop being sore? How many muscles do you have to have to just feel good all the time after a workout?"

"Yeah, that doesn't ever stop." Kyou took the opportunity to flex. "I'm in peak physical condition and I find it still hurts to be this good look-"

"I know a few stretches my mom used to do." Inko took the same opportunity to interrupt. "She was a body builder for a little while in college, and I'm sure she's got some advice that can help you." In fact, Inko's mom was already helping her with basic stretches, toning workouts, and general fitness tips. Inko was no muscle-strapped superstar, but she didn't feel so bad after exercises she used to consider grueling.

"That sounds like a great idea." Hidemi was nearly doubled over trying to ease out the tension in her shoulders. "I could sure use some sage advice. Until then I think I might just sleep? How does a week sound, because I think that ought to do it."

Inko stopped herself from making the comment about 'too much sleep being bad for you in the long run', because as much as she loved and cherished her friends, she knew when to keep helpfully-meant comments like that to herself. Hidemi didn't like hearing on-the-spot advice when all she really wanted to do was make a joke. Kyou didn't appreciate people trying to shoot holes in an idea he meant genuinely, and Kyoshi wanted people to react to his dry quips instead of taking them at face value.

It was little things. Little things about people taught you so much about their personalities. And Inko took the time to watch. When Mizushima launched into a long-winded lecture about a certain topic, it meant she thought it was important. Inko wanted to learn, but she also wanted to thank her upperclassman for all of the hard work she put into helping them learn. So she listened. She listened and sometimes asked questions.

Not only did it help other people feel comfortable and smooth conversations along, but it let them know you cared. This was something she could apply to her personal and professional life. What better way to make patients feel at ease than to learn their ways and adapt to them? That was what her training- her education even- was all about: learning to adapt. As long as she had her quirk and worked on it, she had hope.

She and her friends parted ways. At home, her mother told her she had a voicemail from one of her friends. Inko rewound the tape, and listened with some degree of excitement. She sat for the last couple seconds of her neighbor's call a few days ago, and then it started.

" _Hey Inko, it's Kyoshi. Hachi wanted to know if we could get together for another history study session. He said his neighbor and a few other kids from school were in. I think it might be a good chance to work on the math too. Never waste a study session, right? Anyway. Please call me back at your earliest convenience and we can make plans. Thanks."_

Huh. She stopped the tape and fiddled with the spiral cord. Another study session. Hachi was nice, but she did wonder if it would devolve into another party like the Sports Festival session did. Of course, if Kyoshi was calling her directly, there must be some merit to it. He was pretty serious when it came to studying. Not one to goof off or wait until the last minute for anything.

Alright. Inko determined to clear things with her mother and brush up on her names and dates. It was time to get serious!


	12. Chapter 12

History. She'd done so much pouring over the past that she felt like a relic herself. Annotated books and crowded notebooks filled her backpack to the brim. If she was honest with herself, by this point she was more nervous about the study crowd than the test. Quirk history, National history, World history- they all bubbled up and filed themselves away, leaving handy threads of continuity to track back to each other.

Hachi had been confident that the number would be big enough to schedule the session at the community center a few blocks from the school. It was accessible, big, and had enough tables. Plenty of tables, he'd said. They hardly made Inko feel better.

True to his word, there were a dozen. Inko rounded the fence and spotted the crowd before hopping back. There were at _least_ ten people there. Of course, Hachi, Kyoshi, and one of Géroux's friends from the Hero program would be helping but…

"Inko."

She was ashamed for jumping, but the nervous look on her face didn't faze Shouta. Come to think of it, nothing much did. Inko let out a sigh of relief.

"Hello Shouta. I didn't know you were coming to the study session!"

He glanced around the corner at the big tables. "I didn't know you were having it here. Yamada and Géroux invited me, but I'm pretty confident about history. Besides, I have things to do."

For the first time, Inko noticed the huge coil of rope hanging from Shouta's shoulder like a backpack strap. It looked to be recreational climbing rope, but of a good grade. She noticed the odd knots in the middle and was about to ask.

"It's for quirk training." Shouta fielded the unspoken question. "I actually got the idea from Yamada. He's really into these American movies- It's really something that came up in the Sports Festival. If I can hinder someone with my quirk, it's really no good unless I can capture them too, right?"

Inko nodded, unsure as to where this was going. But, it was good to hear from Shouta. She was glad he was doing well. "A l-lot of pro heroes have gadgets and accessories. Like Jetblack, Pop-Man…"

"It's an edge. Even the most powerful quirk users can find themselves in need of one." The barest hint of a grin twitched on his face. "Like, what's a shape shifter quirk to a guy with a gun? You can wear any face you want and he can still shoot you."

He was right, in a morbid sort of way. Nobody had a counter for _everything_ , which meant being adaptable was a huge plus.

"Well," He spoke up again, "I'm off to practice." And Shouta left.

Inko nearly laughed. It was just like him. He set off at a regular pace, that short ponytail flicking like a puffball on a beanie. It was getting harder not to laugh. Inko trotted off towards the pavilion and the many tables. Hachi was on the lookout for her, it seemed, and he greeted her when she was still a ways off.

"Inko! Just in time. I think we're waiting for one more."

"Alright! Sorry I'm late." She noticed the crowd wasn't nearly as intimidating as she'd thought, but a look did pass between Hidemi and Kyou that she didn't like. There was some mischief afoot. Inko took a deep breath and put her bag on the table next to Hachi's. Of the people there, she recognized almost all of them. Sakurako Ueno was there, along with Kyoshi, Kyou, Hidemi, Hachi, and Rina Fukui from her class. Géroux, Yamada, and a dark-haired girl she didn't recognize made up the students from outside 1C. At least they all seemed relaxed. The calmer, Inko thought, the better.

"Do you have a plan on where to start?" She asked, unpacking her best notebook. Her notes in there were pristine, legible, and easy to convert into a studying format.

Hachi gave her a quadruple thumbs-up. "I think we're going to rotate between the four of us, that way we each get a chance to study the different categories too." He put a few hands on the notes as a gust of wind threatened to take them off. "Might want to keep an eye on these. It's supposed to get pretty gusty this evening."

Inko pushed her books deeper into the safety of her bag. No sense in letting those go wild. "Alright. Sounds like a great plan to me! So, we've got you, me, Kyoshi and-"

" _Sorry we're late!_ "

And.

Inko turned to find the very familiar figure of Toshinori Yagi striding up to the pavilion along with a girl she took a moment to place. But, with the long jacket and leggings, it didn't take long to remember.

"It's my fault." Yagi held his hands out in a lighthearted shrug. "The wind caught Ishikawa's notes and for the life of me I couldn't catch them."

Natsumi Ishikawa. Ueno had talked about her lots after the Sports Festival. Apparently, they had become fast friends after the paintball challenge. Their quirks had seemed wildly incompatible, but apparently Ueno talked her into a team up. Since they'd both made it all the way to the finals, Ueno had said, there was time to get to know each other. Apparently, they had a lot in common.

"Sorry if there are holes in the paper." Ishikawa spoke up. "I had to spear them in the end." She held the loose papers in front of her, and Inko got her first clear look at the plant limbs. Indeed, all four- both arms and legs- were made entirely out of vines or shoots. The barest hint of green poked out where her leggings and socks didn't quite meet, and her hands were a dead giveaway. Idly, Inko wondered if she'd worm gloves in childhood.

Hachi waved them both aside with nonchalance. "Not a big deal. Inko just got here too. We were about to go over who was presenting what."

At her mention, Yagi waved. Inko waved back, suddenly certain about Hidemi and Kyou's mischief. Waiting for one more, huh? How they had known or guessed, it wasn't worth finding out. All she could do now was try to avoid any of that 'mystery man' nonsense. It was tiring enough teaching history as it was.

"Alright." Hachi clapped at three times the volume of a normal person, too. "I've got a personal love for World, so I can take that one. Anybody else have favorites?"

Ishikawa raised a hand. "I'm good at Political history. We're covering the 19th century unit on this test, right?"

She was right, and it was a doozy. Inko was glad someone else had claimed Political. "I'll take National." She spoke up. "It's the notebook that looks the neatest, anyhow."

Kyoshi snapped his fingers in mock upset. "I was going to call it, but you beat me to the punch. Good thing Quirk history is my second favorite. On that note, does anyone want to go first?"

The floor was silent. It seemed like nobody wanted to take the plunge. Someone cleared their throat.

"Sorry to interrupt, but can we do World history first? I have to go… help my uncle move in an hour or two." Yagi lowered his hand sheepishly. Though, he had a point. Perhaps it was best to let the group decide what they'd get up to first.

Hachi nodded. "That's fine. I've got my whole thing prepared. It helps when you can hold a map in two hands, point with one, and hold your flash cards in the other three."

That got a laugh from the others. Kyoshi packed up his bag and moved next to Kyou. Hidemi quickly abandoned her seat next to Ueno and slid in the front table by Fukui.

"You two can sit together, Ishikawa!" Hidemi's grin was nearly as bright as her hair. Inko's eyes narrowed. What were they playing at? She glanced at the other tables and- _Oh, Hidemi you little_ -… It was either take the open seat next to the dark haired girl at the front, or sit with Yagi in the back. It appeared the new girl was near-sighted, and Hidemi assumed the front table would be Inko's last choice. Well, the joke was on her.

Inko put her stuff down next to the dark-haired girl. "I'll go next." She announced to Hachi and the others. "And… and sit up front to have my things ready." Take _that_ Hidemi. Inko wasn't about to play the middle school roundtable games. No, she was going to be very grown up, and very petty.

The dark haired girl pushed her glasses up further and nodded. "Nanako. Nice to meet you."

They started the cram session and Hachi, true to form, put on a show. He dazzled them by juggling topics and flash cards. As he talked, the few stray clouds dotting the sky started to clump together. It got darker, in that hazy way where all could see it was still mid-afternoon. Hachi wrapped up his anecdote on the significance of the iron trade in pre-colonial Africa and took a bow. Everyone clapped.

Inko fished out her best notebook and a cheat-sheet she'd devised to cover all the topics by bullet point. Her pencil slipped out the side pocket and clattered to the floor. She made the mistake of setting her cheat sheet on the table.

The wind, more mischievous than Hidemi and Kyou could ever be, swiped her notes. Inko abandoned her pencil as the paper flew over the tables and toward the back of the pavilion.

"I got it!" Yagi stood too quickly and took the picnic table with him. Bungled around his legs, it was cumbersome enough to impede his reach. The paper sailed past his fingertips, and Inko took off after it.

"I'll be right back!" She yelled. The paper skidded across the grass, knocked down by a sudden gust. Inko reached out with her quirk, but a single raindrop on her face broke her concentration just long enough for it to escape.

Footsteps approached quickly, and she found Yagi right there with her. "I won't let this one get away too!" He grinned and together they chased the paper.

It fluttered and ducked behind the restroom building before sticking to a dimmed light post. They had it now! Inko reached out again and it started to flutter her way. She and Yagi slowed, but Inko was unwilling to leave this up to chance. Quickly, she rounded the corner and laid hands on her prize.

Upon looking up, the paper seemed to matter less. In fact, the scene before her was so distracting that she barely noticed when the notes slipped from her fingers.

"Got it!" Yagi announced loudly, still grinning. "Best keep a good… grip…"

Everyone in the alley was frozen. Inko locked eyes with the enormous man carrying a person- _a student_ \- like a sack of potatoes. Carrying them towards a van. Carrying them unconscious, bound, with a bag over their head towards a van-

Yagi's muscles already tensed, but the click of a gun was faster. Too fast.

"Scream, little lady, and I'll have to do something rash." Another from the back of the van quickly joined the big man, the muscled gun-toting man. And a woman from the driver's side door, and another man-

"Let them go." Yagi growled softly enough to comply with the demand for quiet.

The big man smirked. "This kid? I don't think so. But, tell you what- day after tomorrow he's yours. Although, we can't have you waiting for him here…"

Inko could see the gun now, pointed at the unconscious kid's head. The gloom and the black fabric had swallowed it, but it was there and it was _real_.

"I'll make you a deal, kid." Inko didn't like the way he said it, the way his words dripped with oil and the promise of no promises. "My face is gonna be all over the news day after tomorrow, so I'll let you and your little girlfriend live too, provided you do like I ask."

Nobody in the alley moved. Inko wasn't sure she was even breathing. Yagi, fast and strong as he was, had to pause and consider the deal. He had to be worried too. After all, they were just students, and Inko was pretty sure all three of them couldn't outrun a gun.

Yagi nodded quickly. The big man's grin widened.

"Good. Do as I say and I can guarantee none of you will be hurt by me or my boys here. Now…" He looked between them. "Grab her. Can't have little miss running off."

"Leave her, I'll go-"

"No no, pal-" The big man's smile dropped. "As I said. Do like I tell you."

Inko looked up into his face and Yagi was furious. He met her eye and tentatively took her arm in his hand. One of them laughed.

"Come on, big fella! You can do better than that. Convince me she's not runnin' off to tell the cops."

Yagi was beyond angry. Inko could see it in his eyes, but there was something else. _Sadness._ Regret, maybe. He was in a situation he couldn't stop or control. Someone else, someone with ill intent, had the upper hand and it was eating him alive.

" _I'm sorry._ " He murmured before lifting Inko off the ground like one would a small child or a stuffed animal. She quickly grabbed at the arm around her waist, but there was no chance of slipping or falling. Yagi stared ahead. Inko's feet dangled.

That got another laugh from the van gang. "Good enough for me. Now, you both keep quiet. I've got the gun, but Snapper could bite your hand off 's quick as look at you."

A turtle-shaped man gave them a toothless grimace for emphasis.

"Now get in." The big man gestured with his gun as Snapper made his way into the back. The other two stayed out of the cab as insurance. Yagi started walking forward.

Inko considered herself pretty brave. She kept a neutral expression while getting shots. She'd never had a problem with bullies when she was little. But every so often, more than once, it was _stress_ not fear that pushed her over the edge. She'd stand up to present an important paper and that tight little feeling would build behind her eyes. Her throat would get warm until she could hardly speak.

The first tear she was able to blink away. In the moment, she felt more embarrassed than scared. She trusted Yagi, but they had him covered every which way. He was the threat, not-

She froze, letting the droplet fall as she came to the realization. She was just 'girly', 'little lady', and the likes. She might as well be quirkless for all they knew. Small, female, nervous looking, the only thing missing was-

Inko had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. She had a _plan!_ Pressing a hand over her mouth as insurance, she let the tears fall. For once, stress crying was going to do her a favor.

"Take it easy, princess." The big man chuckled as he handed the unconscious kid off to Snapper and turned the gun their way. "As long as you and your pal stay quiet, nothin' bad's going to happen."

Inko choked back a sob, letting the stress-cry take the reins. Yagi patted her shoulder and glared daggers. She felt a little bad, but she couldn't say anything without letting everyone know. It was a big gamble, but it might pay off.

The van doors slammed shut and Snapper knocked on the cab wall. Inko kept up the act as they sped off. The longer they underestimated her, the better.


	13. Chapter 13

The pavilion was quiet, but a few voices chattered over the gusting wind.

"They've been gone a little too long." Hidemi whispered to Fukui. "I don't wanna embarrass Inko, but she's already doing a great job herself."

Her classmate stood suddenly and took a look around the center and adjacent park. Nothing. Nobody seemed to be out just before the weather change. Smart.

"I think we should go get them. The notes aren't the end-all-be-all of this study session."

"I will do it." Géroux stood. "I can find them the fastest, yes? Toshinori Yagi!"

She blinked out, and back in again. Géroux stepped back quickly to get off the street and onto the sidewalk. This couldn't be right. People were checking the sky and fiddling with umbrellas, but the hulking blond figure she was after was nowhere in sight.

"Inko Kawakami!"

Again, Géroux slipped into existence only to be met with confusion. She was on the grassy median of the same street, just a couple dozen meters from where she had been before. And no little Inko to be found. Only a little street and a light drizzle.

Géroux bit her lip. "Hizashi Yamada…"

She reappeared slightly damp. Ignoring the others briefly, she turned to her friend. "They… I cannot find them! I try my quirk like always, but they are not there!"

The pavilion was quiet. Hizashi stood up and gently grabbed Géroux's shoulders.

"It's cool, my dude, how 'bout you take me with you this time? We can see what all this whack stuff is about."

Géroux nodded, took a deep breath, and tried again. "Inko Kawakami!"

The pair of them materialized in the middle of a damp by street. No cars were coming, but Géroux immediately noticed this was a different spot.

"See! They are not here! And all of this is not the same from when I tried a moment ago…"

"Take a deep breath, dude, let's think. Could they be in a car?"

Géroux shook her head. "If they were in a car, I would appear inside or on the car. They are _nowhere_ Hizashi! That or… or my quirk…"

Hizashi tried not to panic. "Hey, hey, we're not sure what's up yet. I'm with you on something being not cool here, but before we get to panicking let's think about it."

A sedan turned their way and Hizashi guided her out of the road. "You said this was a different place than before?"

Géroux nodded.

Hizashi looked around once more. "Alright, does this place look kinda like where you were before?"

Taking another breath, Géroux examined their surroundings. It wasn't the busy street she'd been on moments ago, but there was something… She took Hizashi's hand and headed out of the alleyway. As soon as they were clear of the buildings and on the sidewalk, she pointed.

"I came out first by that building! And then over there on the grass! They must be moving!"

It seemed odd. All signs pointed to them being in a car but… Well, why hadn't Géroux appeared right next to them?

"This is a pretty uncool idea, Géroux," Hizashi spoke up, "but I think somebody's interfering with your quirk."

-\\\/-

It had been a supremely average van ride, out of context. From the cab, things ran as smoothly as could be hoped for. No odd looks, light traffic, and just the first hint of rain. A very easy drive.

In the back the story was different. The unconscious student never stirred, though Snapper and the big man were happy to continue threatening. Inko continued crying, and Yagi kept a hand around her shoulders in a fruitless effort to help.

Eventually, Snapper growled. His voice crackled unnaturally. "That's - _ccchk_ \- gettin' on my nerves- _hcck_ \- Grav. Do somethin' about it!"

Grav, the big man, turned to the pair of them. Inko took a deep breath in order to slow down the stress cry. It didn't stop the nervous shaking. She was, after all, pretty anxious still. The tears kept flowing, but silently.

"Well would you look at that, Snaps, how accommodating!"

Inko heard Yagi snarl softly. Of course, the charade might not pan out and they could all very well die, but she felt bad for deceiving him thus far. Slowly, she reached over and squeezed his hand. Inko was already planning on what she'd do when, inevitably, Géroux came looking for them. It might be enough of a distraction for Yagi to do something, but Inko's primary plan was to yell 'Go back'!

Of course, Géroux could come later. The others might assume- _how embarrassing-_ that they'd ditched to go on a _date_ or something, but sooner or later Yagi's classmate was bound to come looking.

But if she _didn't_ , they would have to manage on their own. That was starting to look like the case when, after a lengthy drive, the van turned and came to an idling stop.

Grav turned the gun on them, his dark eyes a cold contrast to his grin. "Smoke's gonna open the door, and you two aren't gonna move, got it?"

Neither of them said anything, and the door opened anyhow. The driver and the lanky man stood outside, and Inko wondered which of them was 'Smoke'.

"Miss Direct," Grav said without taking his eyes or his gun off the pair, "How are we lookin'?"

So the lanky man was Smoke. Miss Direct, the driver outfitted like a biker movie extra, crossed her arms.

"Got a couple pings when we started out, but they stopped. We're still hidden. Whoever was looking for the kids can't get past my quirk."

 _Miss Direct_. Inko had a pretty good idea why Géroux hadn't shown.

"Great. Now we just gotta lay low until the day after tomorrow, and everything's golden." Grav scratched at the stubble on his chin and motioned with the gun. "You two. Out. Don't try anything, big guy, Snapper's still got the kid."

Since there was little use in running, Yagi simply took Inko's hand as the exited the van. She was still sniffling like a lost child, but Grav had just given her a lot to think about. This Miss Direct could throw off people's quirks? Or perhaps she was just concealing the gang somehow. Did she have telepathy?

Snapper exited next, the student thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Where's-s-sk this one going?" He hefted the kid up and looked to the leader.

Grav gestured to the left- to a door- with his free hand. "The little broom closet. Smoke cleared it before we left. Now get going, and be sure to blindfold him before he wakes up. Not that you'll have much trouble…"

Snapper took off and Inko started looking around the room. She began with the floor under the pretense of not meeting anyone's eyes, and started working her way around. It looked like a loading bay, the kind they had behind stores sometimes. She noted the grease and oil stains, as well as some obvious crates. What looked like a mock-up of a living room stood in the corner by the door Snapper had just gone through. There was a little TV with a sports station on, and a coffee table littered with food wrappers and bottles.

Before she had a chance to look further, Grav started talking. "Now you two, I didn't plan for." He kept the gun pointed squarely at Inko, since his other hostage had been moved. "Luckily, the rent here is cheap for so much space, but that's what you get when the roof leaks and the whole place smells like motor oil."

Smoke made a noise that could either be a chuckle or a hacking cough. Miss Direct went back to the front of the van. Grav looked them over, trying to get a read on them. In the calm, Inko noticed something. It wasn't huge, but Grav seemed to favor one leg over the other. He still had a gun, but that knowledge could come in handy.

"And I bet you kids are curious. Well, you know what they say about curiosity and cats, but there's more than one way to skin 'em. I'll let you two in on a secret, but first, to your suite."

Smoke moved behind the both of them as a rearguard. Grav shook his gun at Inko. "Ladies first."

It seemed like Yagi wasn't going to let go of her hand until she stepped forward. Hesitantly, Inko moved closer to the big man until something changed on his face.

"Stop." He ordered. "First, what's your quirk?"

Inko could've started crying all over again, but she managed to speak. "I c-can lift l-light objects and float- float them towards m-myself. Little th-things."

Grav tilted his head and looked past his gun at her. "Demonstrate."

Going for the gun, though possible, was a bad move. While she knew it would be easy, she had no idea what Grav's quirk was, or Smoke's. Inko glanced around and picked something very small, and very close. There was a wadded up receipt about two meters away, and she slowly reached out to get it.

The damp paper floated her way and landed in her outstretched hands. Shaking, she offered it to Grav. He laughed.

"Ain't that something! Could'a used that when I dropped my watch into the drainage ditch! Alright, sweetheart-" He grabbed Inko's arm and looked back at Yagi. "Forget ladies first. I know a strength guy when I see one. Smoke, take him to the old office. Me and the little lady will be right behind you."

Yagi did not look pleased at this turn of events, but he complied. Now that the gun was so close, Inko began shaking in earnest. It was one thing to be collected when you had a giant on your side. Grav was nearly as big and, it seemed, twice as dangerous.

"Come on, now. I'm mostly a man of my word." He started pulling Inko the same way Yagi and Smoke had gone. "You kids have been behaving, and I appreciate that."

They followed a short hallway into a dark room. Inko could see the skinny outline of Smoke moving toward a desk. He switched on a lamp, illuminating the rest of the bare room. It was as depressing an office as Inko had ever seen. No windows, only the desk, the lamp, and what looked like a drain on the floor. Had it even been intended as an office originally?

"Smoke." Grav addressed him. "Get the big cuffs." He spoke to Inko conspiratorially, "They were meant for somebody else, but your pal can borrow them. And don't feel too left out. We got bracelets for you too."

Inko wasn't reassured as Smoke dug around in the desk. He produced a massive pair of immobilization cuffs; the kind meant for heavy-duty quirk users. It was then she noticed Yagi. He looked like he was trying very hard not to smile.

Smoke put the cuffs on Yagi, locked them, and joined Grav back by the desk with the key. The big man took it and grinned a little too brightly. "Watch the little lady a second, Smoke." He moved off, and Inko remained frozen. Watching was all Smoke would need to do. She was a statue.

"Those don't look like much to a big guy like you, huh?" Grav pointed to the immobilization cuffs. "Tell you what, I'll make it interesting. You look like a guy who likes a challenge." He reached out, one finger pointing until it came to rest on the metal.

Yagi dropped. It happened so quickly, Inko wasn't quite sure what- how… The concrete had _cracked_. Oh. _Oh no._

"Yeah, that's a doozy, isn't it?" Grav chuckled. He made no move to stop Yagi as he tugged at the cuffs, not able to budge them one millimeter. "Kind of fun, though. Thanks for that kid, I don't get to do party tricks much."

Inko wasn't about to start panicking… Maybe she should. After all, the biggest guy she knew had been successfully restrained by _one quirk._ Laserman was right. It really was all in the application.

Grav came back and fished around in the desk. He produced a sturdy pair of handcuffs, although they were pretty ordinary looking compared to the ones for Yagi. He looked like he was about to toss them to Smoke when he hesitated.

"Hey, girly. Show me something." He set the handcuffs on the desk. "Give these to Smoke, why don't you?"

Inko was properly worried now. Her heart was pounding and any planning she'd done had gone right out the window. All she had was her helpless act, which might as well be reality at this point. Her hands were trembling when she stretched them out. The handcuffs jolted, then slid right off the desk and onto the floor. Smoke made his cough-snort sound again, and Inko flushed red as she tried again.

Eventually, the cold metal found it's way into her hands, and Inko was nearly in tears again. Smoke took the heavy cuffs and fastened them on tightly.

"I gave 'em a little extra weight, just to see. Not a very powerful quirk, huh sweetheart?"

She couldn't look at Grav, Smoke, or even Yagi. Her eyes were glued to the floor.

Grav glanced around the room, looking like he was having fun. "How about that lamp? I haven't touched it. Can you move that?"

Inko took one look at the lamp and shook her head. It was too big, with the wide base and the broad lampshade. Out of the question.

Laughing again, Grav took the key to Yagi's handcuffs out of his pocket. "Tell you what, girly, I'll give you a little help." He flicked the key like a coin, tapped it midair, and watched it break clean through the desk.

Inko thought her knees were going to give out. Smoke pocketed her own key and made to leave. Grav stopped him. "Hey, Smoke, you still got that broken watch chain Snapper swiped from the pawn shop?"

Smoke handed it over without a word. Grav examined the timepiece before fastening it to a link in Inko's handcuffs. "Perfect to count down the hours by." Then, he gestured with his gun. "You can join your pal. I imagine you two can keep each other company."

Without looking at either of them, Inko skittered past the drain and lowered herself to the floor before her knees gave way. She thought she could feel Yagi's eyes on her, but she couldn't look up to check.

"Great work, you two. Now, give me and the group a day or so, and we'll let you-"

"Gravimetric."

Yagi spoke, and the whole room became ice. For the first time, Inko dared to look up at their captor. The smug grin had been wiped off his face, but he wasn't furious. It was an odd emotion Inko couldn't pin down. Somewhere between pleasant surprise and disgust.

"You look different, but I recognize your quirk." Yagi continued. The gun was pointed right at him but he didn't pause. "I was wondering where the disgraced hero of Team Terra had gone."

Grav blinked, and his façade was back. He shook his head and lowered his gun, knowing that there was nothing Yagi or Inko could do to threaten him. "I figured this would happen without me, but you're a kid, I bet you know more about it than Snapper."

Inko searched Yagi's face for a reason why he'd be goading a man with a gun. There was none. His face was hard as stone, but with the littlest hint of satisfaction. He was playing an angle.

"You got me. I go by Grav now, for obvious reasons. Can't have everyone knowing this ugly mug used to be a pro."

"Used to be a sidekick, right?" Phrasing the correction as a question may have saved their lives. Yagi didn't wait for the gamble to play out, but kept going. "Meteor's old sidekick. Before you were caught embezzling."

Grav didn't even look upset. It was like he knew- and he probably knew the old tricks better than anyone. "The one and only. Looks like you know your oldies, kid. That was what, ten, twelve years ago when I got the sack? Gotta hand it to you, you'd make a good cop. Unfortunately, this isn't an interrogation."

"No, but I'd like to know what you need kids to do to the Team Terra parade float _the day after tomorrow._ "

At that, Inko gasped and Grav's lip twitched. Team Terra was featuring in the annual Hero Appreciation parade put on by the city. Security would be a non-issue since the place would be crawling with off-duty heroes. But that didn't seem to bother Grav.

He gave Yagi look torn between irritation and admiration. "Good on you for putting that together. I guess I'm glad you're in here and not out there after all. Yeah, I'm going to use that kid to kill Meteor, and whoever else on Team Terra I can reach."

Unable to stop herself, Inko asked, "How?"

Grav chuckled and shook his head. "That's not as important. All you kids need to know is: the less you know the better. I said I'd relieve some of that curiosity, and now I'm done." He smirked at the ruined desk before striding forward. Inko shrank back, but all Grav did was tap the pocket watch. It fell to the floor with a lesser thud, but Inko immediately knew it would be an effective tether.

"Best of luck to you two."

The door slammed shut and locked with a resounding click. All was silent in the room for a second. Two seconds. When she was sure Grav and Smoke were well gone, Inko dropped to her hands and knees. She'd never been so scared in her life. The pent up adrenaline and anxiety welled up and burst from her chest.

She needed a moment. She had to have a second to process. The handcuffs, the key, Yagi, the poor kid- She'd had a gun waved in her face. He'd had a gun and the desk was ruined now…

Inko couldn't help herself when what should be the first sob bubbled up as laughter. It started out as a giggle, a halting noise that could've easily been lost in tears, but soon worked its way up to near hysteria. Inko was quiet, always quiet, but she couldn't hold very much in.

She was hiccupping for lack of air when she noticed Yagi trying to calm her down. Without a helping hand or much mobility, he did what he could. He was trying to talk her out of this crazed state she'd spiraled into.

"Inko, Inko, stay calm. It's going to be alright. I'm sure Géroux and the others are looking. Sooner rather than later they'll alert he authorities. My- my uncle knows I'd never stand him up. He'll be calling the police too."

She looked up between her soaked eyelashes. He was so distraught. Nearly hopeless with despair and what she supposed must be guilt. Guilt for not being able to do anything about all this. _Well,_ she thought as she gurgled out another laugh, _that's going to change soon._

"Don't cry—Don't be worried, Inko."

She lifted a hand to wipe her eyes, well within the tether's limits. Inko was grinning, a huge ear-to-ear smile that she hoped would wipe away the gloom on his face.

"I'm not worried… Toshinori?" She said, relieved at his nod of approval and pausing only to hiccup again. "Everything's going to be fine! You want to know why?"

Toshinori was looking at her like she'd grown a second head. Like she was two feet taller and much, much stronger than she appeared.

Inko laughed again. "Everything's alright now! He left us the key!"


	14. Chapter 14

Hachi and Kyou were in charge of carrying the ownerless backpacks. When Géroux and Yamada came back looking worried, the gang had pooled together to come up with theories.

"Maybe it's a masking quirk, or a disguise quirk! You could've been standing next to them and never known!"

Géroux wrung her hands. "But… It is not so. Sometimes there were not people there. Some of the times I am alone in the street. They were nowhere!"

Whatever it was, Kyoshi suggested they get to the bottom of it. "Maybe there's a pattern to the interference we're overlooking. Maybe some sort of common factor will present itself if you try again."

" _D'accord._ " Géroux nodded. "But I am not sure how long I can continue tonight. I am… fatigued to where my quirk may not work so well."

"Excuse me…" The nearsighted girl, Nanako, raised her hand. "Um, are you hungry? Would food help?"

Géroux looked at her quizzically. "Yes, but unless you have brought some eh… very nutritious foods, it may not work."

Nanako nodded quickly. "Give me just a moment." She stepped out into the drizzly grass and Ishikawa followed her.

"Do you need any help?" The plant girl asked.

Nanako shook her head. "I think I have it covered, but thank you. There's enough moisture in the air to help considerably." She reached down and pushed her hand into the grass, feeling through the blades and the dirt. Suddenly, the ground glowed pale orange and began to shift. Within moments, a shoot sprouted. It spiraled upwards, flowered, and produced a lovely looking plant before their eyes.

Then Nanako ripped it out of the ground. The group was shocked to find an entire bunch of carrots dangling from her hand.

"Ah, perhaps now I can be of assistance." Ishikawa touched one of the leaves and the plant pruned itself, dropping unsightly roots and a whole layer of skin to remove dirt. Once she was done, Nanako held a perfectly peeled and fresh bunch of carrots, like something right out of a cartoon.

Kyou was the first to speak. "Alright, forget everything I ever said about Infuser, _that's_ the greatest food quirk. Holy cow. Are you in Heroics?"

Nanako gave him a small smile. "Management."

Géroux's eyes widened. " _Ouai_ , that will do perfectly."

-\\\/-

She was still hiccupping when Snapper came by to gloat a little while later. Toshinori had been very quiet, perhaps worried for her sanity, but it didn't matter now. This was their chance.

" _Hccckkk-hhhey_ kiddos!" The turtley man poked his head in the door. He clearly found the scene to his satisfaction. Smirking, Snapper continued, "The boss and Smoke and I are- _kcchkkk-_ going for takeout and booze." He paused to snicker. "Unfortunately, we're not _infamous_ yet, so there's no money for _hhchh_ extras. But don't worry. If one 'a- _kkkkch-_ you starts dyin', Miss Direct will know. She'll be keeping a close eye on you."

Snapper slammed and locked the door as he left. Toshinori rolled his eyes with a huff.

"Did he come by just to gloat? Who does that?"

Inko giggled, still arguably in hysteria territory. Though she certainly had her wits about her, emotions ran high in situations like this. She could hardly help it. And perhaps worrying over her would give that sad-sack Toshinori something to think about besides their predicament. That, and getting kidnapped together qualified being on a first-name basis. Who knew?

"It doesn't- _hic-_ matter!" Inko chimed in. "They're all going for food. It means we have a chance!"

Toshinori _didn't_ see how this gave them an opening at all. "What chance? The key is all the way over there and, no offense, but if I can't lift it then neither can you."

Inko's smile widened. He still didn't get it. "It doesn't matter. Nobody has to- _hic-_ lift it. Grav made one fatal mistake."

"What's that?" He asked, a spark of curiosity glimmering in his eyes.

"He _assumed_ my quirk's limits are based on _weight_."

For the first time since they'd been imprisoned here, Toshinori looked hopeful. He glanced at the key, then back at Inko. Still, there was doubt flashing on his face.

"But, the handcuffs… You could barely get those off the desk."

Now, Inko was starting to get annoyed. Leave it to the muscle-bound giant to start pitting strength against strength. "Admittedly, I kind of… freaked out. He h-had a gun, and- _hic-_ Smoke was right there… I've n-never been in this kind of trouble before."

Toshinori looked back at the table. It seemed he didn't know what to do with that kind of admission. Either it was true for him and he was embarrassed, or it was untrue and he didn't want to talk about it.

"You think you can do it?"

Inko took a deep breath, trying to still her spasming diaphragm. "I- _hic-_ have to."

She swallowed any apprehension she might have towards this task. Not only herself, but Toshinori, the other student, and perhaps all of Team Terra was depending on this. And they'd never know, in all likelihood. But she was the only one who could do this. Even if she was the only one who believed it, even if she only half believed…

Fingers stretched out, ignoring the metal circles keeping her tied down. There was only Inko and the key. It was small. It was smaller than a key for a contraption that size ought to be. She thought about when it had been in Grav's hand. How it looked. How the round part probably felt between his fingers. She saw her hands, and the key.

There was a mighty tug, like someone was trying to pull her across the floor. But she wasn't going to budge. Inko stopped a moment, got her bearings afresh, and tried again. Her vision focused down to a pinpoint, down to the smallest glimmer of silver in the shadow. She watched for a twinkle of movement in the dim lamplight.

She nearly missed Toshinori's words again in her focus.

"It moved…"

Inko paused. She felt the first beads of sweat on her brow from the effort. Toshinori was looking at her as if she'd just flipped a car with her pinky finger.

"It moved, Inko!" Something changed then, and it wasn't the position of the key. In that moment, someone else believed too.

She turned back towards the desk, hiccups banished and a surge of hope rising in her chest. It was up to her, but she wasn't alone. Toshinori was ready to watch the key move too.

The whole world became one point. If she had hands, she had them on faith, because all she could see was the tiniest glimmer of metal as it slid at a snail's pace. The key moved so slowly, it didn't make a sound. It never truly floated, either, simply scraped along with agonizing slowness.

It could've been ten minutes, could've been an hour later. Inko's hands dropped to the floor again. Her shoulders shook, and for the first time she noticed Grav carelessly left the pocket watch facedown. So much for time. A drop of sweat trickled off her nose and onto the floor near the cheap metal tether.

"This is…" Toshinori cleared his throat. "This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen. Inko, your quirk is amazing."

She shook her head, a little too weary to look at him just then. "Small. Only small things…"

His expression wasn't visible, but she could almost hear that smile. "Maybe. But you can't deny that it's looking much better than mine right now."

That pulled a chuckle from her throat. _Oh, this was hard!_ But someone else believed! Maybe one and a half hopeful hearts was good enough! Inko hadn't given the lamp another thought, hadn't considered anything she couldn't do. Only what she had, and how that would be incredible enough. Like Shirota-sensei said, all quirks were good for something. She didn't know what the future would ask of her, only that right now her quirk was good for _this._

Inko poured herself into another pull. The key seemed to scrape across the concrete even slower, and her fingers felt as if they might fall off. Something in her hand stung, but there would be no distraction. No pain was worth acknowledging until she was done. She could rest when she was done. It only ended when she was done.

The key sat a bare meter away, now. Inko closed her eyes and leaned against Toshinori's shoulder. She just needed a moment. Just a second of rest, not too long, and then she'd be back to work. Her arms and hands were slick, and she could hardly feel the handcuffs any longer.

"Inko, you need to rest." Toshinori said softly. He'd tried to be encouraging, quietly, but in her focus she's hardly heard. "Take ten minutes, and then get back to it."

"No, s-sorry." Her rolled up sleeves left her elbows exposed, the only parts of her forearms she could still feel when she rolled onto the cool floor. The sleeves clung to her upper arms, soaked. She had stopped long enough. Grav and the others could come back at any minute.

Inko opened her eyes, located the blurry gleam of reflected light, and blinked until the image cleared. Seeing nothing else, she held out her arms.

"Inko? Inko are you alright? Say something!"

She blinked a droopy eyelid. Everything was dark a moment, but then she saw a pair of hands. Odd, how they weren't connected to anything. Oh. _Oh._ She pushed herself upright, a little wobbly, and brushed some hair out of her face. _Sticky._

"How long w-was the nap?"

Toshinori looked scared half to death, but visibly relieved that she was talking. "Only a second or two. You suddenly… collapsed. Inko, what happened?"

She blinked at him. "Over… exertion? I think. It's never happened before."

His face was still ashen, like he was afraid she'd keel over at any second. She felt like she could, if she really put her mind to it.

"Well, be careful. I don't want you-…" He trailed off, looking down and then off to the other side of the room suddenly.

She assumed he didn't want her 'getting hurt', although the way her muscles felt, it seemed like a moot point. It was better than them 'getting dead' at any rate.

"It's f-fine." The haze around the key was harder to clear this time, but it was nearly to them. Inko braced her hands against the ground and pushed herself upright. The watch chain would only let her go so far, but she managed to stumble to the other side of Toshinori's handcuffs. Now, the key was directly in line with her hands _and_ the lock.

This would be the hardest part.

Inko heard heavy breathing, and at first assumed it wasn't her own. At such close quarters, she could really see the concern etched in his face. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up, but her eyes started unfocusing as his expression became more horrified.

Back to the key. This would be the most difficult stretch. She would have to move it vertically now, as well as horizontally. The distance would be shorter, but there could be no breaks until the key rested on top of the handcuffs. Otherwise, her upward progress would be undone, and the key clattering risked making too much noise.

"H-here goes." She took a steadying breath.

"If anyone can do it, I'd say it's you."

For the first time, Inko was in such proximity, at such an angle that she was forced to look at her hands. No longer slick with sweat, she realized, but slick with… something that made her stomach churn. No wonder Toshinori looked faint. If that's how it was all the way to her elbows…

It didn't need thinking about. What she needed was focus. Deep breath in, _pull_. The key hesitated. It wobbled, it defied her, and in the end it had to rise. Inko's arms shook as the tiny piece of metal lifted off from the concrete and began hovering her way. Another burst of pain erupted from her wrist, but she kept going. Stopping now meant losing progress. She would not go backwards, only forwards.

More agonizing than the crawl was the ascent. The key existed on a clothesline in the wind, bobbing and dipping with every ebb and flow in her concentration. But it was moving upwards. The key angled and chipped over the edge of the handcuffs even as Inko's fingers trembled. Once it was safely over the side, prevented from falling, she dropped again.

Toshinori dipped one shoulder in an attempt to catch her, but Inko fell like a dead fish. She flopped against his arm and came to rest there. Exhausted. She was just about spent. In her mind's eye, she conjured up the impossibility of what she had to do next. The sheer effort, the technique… If she thought lifting the key had been hard-

Far past the point of exhaustion, Inko pressed slick palms against the floor and got up to her knees. If Toshinori said anything, she couldn't hear. The pulse pounding in her ears drowned it out.

She lined herself up with the key once again. It was so small. _How light is it? Paperclip light. It can't be heavy and small. It can't be heavy and small._

Inko's arms shook from the shoulder sockets down to the tips of her fingers. She could feel them now, the slivers sliced in her skin, that were the tangible toll of her quirk. How tacky, how wet they felt. But she would not deal in hurts until it was done. She would not stop until she was finished.

The key was lifted again. Inko trembled through the journey, the upward climb, as the key appeared to defy gravity. Now came the technical element. Her fingers flexed and in rapid bursts she switched her quirk on and off until the key hung in the perfect position, balanced notches-down near the lock. Her muscles ached from the quick, miniscule adjustments. She could not stop.

Inko rose from her slump. She loomed over the scrap of metal. Her quirk flashed in her veins like lightning, _on off on off on off on off_ \- the key moved in stop-motion. It dangled, poised above the lock. But she couldn't drop it. _On off on off on off_. Inko gripped the handle as her muscles begged her to stop. She would not stop until she was done.

The key turned like a turn of the earth, impossibly slow to the human eye but fast as lightning with the rapid adjustments she made with her quirk. A dozen a second. More. _Faster._ She could feel the notches scraping against the lock. _More, faster!_

It was the loudest sound she'd thought she'd ever heard. It was a murmur of a _clunk_ but it may as well have been a herd of elephants stomping in the locking mechanism. The side barriers dropped. So did Inko.


	15. Chapter 15

The bunch of carrots did the trick, but Géroux was exhausted from moving so many people at once. The drizzle was getting closer and closer to rain, and they all knew parents would start to worry.

Géroux's quirk had taken them to the same spot with each trip. Every time, whether it was Inko or Toshinori she tried to locate, she ended up next to a grimy dumpster. They had, after much hesitation, checked _in_ the dumpster, but thankfully came up empty.

"So they have to be around here." Hachi guessed. "And neither of their quirks do this kind of thing, so we have to assume it's somebody else. Which means, uh…"

"Someone doesn't want them found." Kyoshi finished.

The group fell silent. It seemed impossible, and yet they were facing a real-life emergency.

Yamada spoke up from Géroux's side. "In a situation like this, I think it would be um… the raddest option to call the police." Even as members of the Heroics department, this was way out of their league.

"But they've only been missing for what, an hour?" Kyou gestured to the empty alleyway. "And we don't even know where they are! What are the police going to do with that?" He threw his arms in the air. "Might as well just round up all the teachers on a weekend! Nobody's going to believe this!"

The only sound in the alley was dripping rain. Kyou- as enthusiastic as his pessimism was- had a point. There was no evidence save for Géroux's quirk acting up. Inko and Toshinori left without a trace, and by all outwards appearances of their own volition.

"I know someone who might."

Fukui had her arms crossed, but the expression on her face was serious. She had been silent throughout the whole venture. Now, it seemed there was something she could add.

"My mentor. He's a detective with the precinct. I interned a week with his department, and I think he would listen to me." Fukui took a breath and raised her head. "It's our best shot. Géroux, if you can take me to his office, I can convince him to help. At the very least, he will know how to contact their parents."

Géroux was still leaning on Yamada for support, but she nodded. "It may only be the one trip, unless your detective has brought his dinner to work."

"It sounds like our best shot!" Hidemi smacked her palm with her fist. "If this is really something shady, then every second counts!"

" _D'accord._ " Géroux let go of Yamada and staggered to Fukui's side. Fukui pulled Géroux's arm across her shoulders, in case she collapsed once they arrived on the other side.

Géroux grinned weakly. " _Merci_. The rest of you should stay together, so that I may find you again. Now…" She turned to Fukui. "What is the name of your detective?"

-\\\/-

Luckily, the boughs of a tree stopped her fall. No, softer than tree limbs, but no less big. And Toshinori's face was in the sky. That was kinda cool.

"That was- Inko, I've never seen a more powerful display of a person's quirk. That was _amazing_!"

She grinned and tried to give him a thumbs up. It was weird, though, since the weight of her arm didn't leave her stomach. It was a lighthearted gesture in spirit.

"I've… always known my quirk was practical." She was breathing hard, but it was nice to rest. Toshinori looked away for a moment, and Inko thought she heard a twig snap. The hand not holding her up came back into view, jiggling a twisted pair of handcuffs. Where had those come from?

"No need for these anymore! I hope Grav doesn't mind that we're breaking his things." There was that sunny smile again. Inko hoped her thumbs up was real this time.

She closed her eyes for a moment's rest, but Toshinori shook her shoulder gently. Gently, but just about any contact sent pins and needles running through her arm. Inko hissed, and he apologized.

"Oh crap- I'm sorry! We've got to do something about that, don't we?"

"My arms." Inko blinked. Right. They were, in all honesty, probably messed up. But, she could still feel them, so not a total loss. "C-can we rip off my sleeves and use those? Not like I n-need them."

Toshinori frowned. "You'll get cold."

"I'm already cold." Inko countered. "And I don't think a ch-chill is going to make a huge difference."

After a long pause, he responded. "Very well…" He seemed to be thinking again. "Even if this works I don't really, er- know _how_ to make it happen."

Inko only had the energy to blink. "I'll walk— walk you through it. Start with the sleeve seam… the sewed bit on the shoulder."

Toshinori seemed puzzled still. "What do I do with it?"

"You rip it off." Suddenly, Inko was keenly aware of how awkward this might be for him. It was always the guys ripping their own shirts in comics. But she was in far too much pain to do it herself, or wait for him to think up different options. There was another way around this, though. "Please be quick. We don't have much time."

A little urgency did wonders. Toshinori remembered the present crisis and got right to sleeve ripping. He tore the other one with much more ease, and Inko walked him through the technique he'd need to tear the sleeves longways. The shirt was ruined with blood, grease, and sweat either way. Not like she'd miss those sleeves in the grand scheme of things.

Properly bandaged now, Inko gave up on trying to communicate thanks with hand gestures. "It's perfect… You d-did wonderful, thank you." It still hurt to have her arms hanging at her sides, but it was better than bleeding all over the place. Besides, they still had to escape.

"You th-think you can get the door open?" She asked as Toshinori helped her to sit up, then slowly to stand. She was unsteady on her feet, but all the time she'd been expending energy, he'd been motionless. Ready. Toshinori was perfectly energized for his portion of the escape plan.

He guided her over to the door, one hand always offered in support. "Are you kidding? This door is no match for me!"

"Quietly?" Inko reminded him. Miss Direct was still here, if not the others by this point.

As if to demonstrate, he reached out and quickly turned the handle. Inko heard the lock snap, but it was more of a dull clunk. It was the kind of noise an air conditioner made, or a shifting support beam. She'd be surprised if Miss Direct even noticed with all the creepy sounds in this dilapidated building.

He cracked the door open a hair and peeked out. "I see Miss Direct. She's watching baseball. Now's our chance." Toshinori scooped Inko up with one hand, and pushed open the door with the other. Silently, he slipped out and closed the door behind him. Nothing would look amiss, provided Miss Direct didn't turn around while he was still in her line of sight. And it didn't seem as if she could detect movement. Inko pondered the nature of her quirk. Maybe it really was just to mask people from detection, not detect them. It didn't seem very useful, but then again it _was_ the one thing keeping them from being found. _It's all in the application._

As quietly as he was able, Toshinori slipped down the hallway and to another door. This one led to what he believed was the storefront of the building, or whatever other offices remained attached to this building.

Or, it could lead to Grav, Smoke, and Snapper.

Inko nodded once and Toshinori took a silent breath. He turned the handle and pushed the door open. Thankfully the hinges didn't squeak, but the area beyond was nearly pitch dark. What little light filtered in through the paper-covered windows wasn't enough to properly illuminate the room. Whatever was in there, it would take a while for their eyes to adjust enough to see it. Even then, it was a long shot.

"Look for a doorknob." Inko whispered. "Grav told Snapper to use a broom closet."

They both stood still while scanning the room for any sign of a door. The handle would theoretically be easiest to spot, since it would reflect light. Probably. Inko was back on her own two feet for the search, but she leaned heavily against her friend. Retrieving the key had sapped her energy away like nothing she'd ever experienced before. This was like the worst possible training exercise, combined with a day without food, and maybe three without sleep. She was dead tired, but it wasn't over yet.

"There." Toshinori whispered. Inko had to take a moment to find his hand, and then follow to where he was pointing. There was a door tucked neatly in the corner of the room. The last of the cloud-dimmed sunlight peeked through enough to light up a metal hinge.

"Perfect. Let's go."

Using mostly Toshinori's navigation, they picked their way to the edge of the room. He quickly found the doorknob. Unfortunately, the door squeaked this time. It was hardly quiet, and they both froze. Seconds ticked by. Nothing. She felt his arm tense before he squeaked the door the rest of the way open.

"Who's there?"

They both started at the voice, but it wasn't Grav, Smoke, or Snapper. Not Miss Direct, either, if the location of the voice told them anything.

"Light switch!" Inko hissed.

After a few seconds of fumbling, the lights flickered to life. Inko blinked hard. The change was sudden and drastic. Another moment and she had her bearings. Squinting into the closet, she found shelves, a mop, and their missing student.

And for good or ill, she recognized him.

"Shouta!" She stumbled half a step forward before Toshinori caught her.

Shouta tensed from his spot on the floor, blindfolded like Grav had ordered. He was bound with his own practice rope around the chest and arms, while his ankles were restrained in another pair of cuffs. _What, were these things criminal wholesale?_

"Inko?" His voice sounded gruff, worse than usual. She was more concerned now. Had they hurt him?

"Don't move- I'll get him." Toshinori made sure she had a wall to lean on before approaching Shouta. The second his large hand touched Shouta's shoulder, a rapid kick flew his way.

"Don't touch me!" He hissed. "I don't know what you want with me, but I'm not doing it until you let her go!"

Inko realized what was going on and hurried forward. She crashed to a stop at his side and began fumbling with the blindfold. "It's okay! We're here to rescue you."

When Inko was met with little success, Toshinori stepped in. Shouta flinched initially, but stayed still enough to get the job done. The second his blindfold feel away, his eyes were blazing. Shouta quickly relaxed, recognizing Inko and Toshinori.

"It's you." He said to his fellow heroics student. "Should've introduced yourself first-"

The quip died in his throat when he got a look at Inko. His eyes burned, and for the first time Inko saw something more than his usual mild set of emotions flash on his face.

" _What_ -" He spat, " _did they do to you?_ "

Inko was quick to shake her head. "N-nothing! They didn't do anything but threaten us!"

Shouta's head whipped around to accuse Toshinori even as he broke the cuffs forestalling further kick attacks.

"No!" Inko hissed. "Nobody did this! It w-was my quirk. I had to push past m-my limits to escape."

He blinked. Shouta looked down at her arms, then back to her face. "Your… _quirk_ did that?"

Inko nodded, embarrassed. It seemed so reckless, so dangerous now that she'd already done it, and was getting reproving looks from her former classmate.

"Hey." Toshinori cut in. "It's thanks to her that we're getting you out of here."

"At what cost?" Shouta spat back. Things were getting out of hand. And _loud._

Inko pushed her way between them now that Shouta was free. Well, not so much pushed as fell with directional intent. Two pairs of hands shot out to catch her. That just made it more irritating.

"Look! I know it was a bad idea, but it was the _only_ idea with any chance of success. S-so we can worry about it later, now, let's just leave!"

Both boys were quiet. Toshinori looked to Shouta who glowered, but nodded. Together, they helped Inko to her feet.

"What if we just broke a window and ran for it?" She suggested. "Miss Direct would hear us, but we'd be out."

Toshinori shook his head. "That's a quick but dangerous plan. The glass might not break evenly, and who knows what's on the other side. We need a safe exit strategy."

"What if we just take out the goons? I'm sure between me and the big guy we can beat them." Shouta gave this suggestion deadpan, as always.

It seemed like Toshinori was giving that some thought. "It's just Miss Direct right now, but we don't know what kind of fighter she is, only that her quirk can mask our presence here."

That was probably their safest bet. But then again, what if the others came back in the van?

"What if we found the front door? I doubt there are alarms in this place, since they'd have to b-be checked and tracked by the alarm c-company." Inko figured the less risks they took, the better.

"Fine by me." Shouta said.

"I bet it's back in the dark room." Toshinori guessed. "Or, at least, it'll be this direction. We've got sunlight coming from somewhere after all, even if it was overcast earlier."

Inko nodded. "Then let's move. We don't know how much time we have."

Shouta staked out a position by her side while Toshinori opened the door to check outside. "Clear." He opened the door all the way and hit the lights. "Better trick them into thinking we're here as long as we can. Come on."

Toshinori found Inko's arm, and they made their way as a train through the darkened room. The window lights seemed dimmer, but they were easy enough to pick out. And now that they were facing this way, Inko could see the path ahead of them was largely bare, save for an upturned shelf or two.

"This is it." Toshinori stopped, feeling the opaque paper covering the door. His hand slid down until he found the lever and pushed.

An ear-splitting screech like no other assaulted them from the ceiling.

"I was wrong!" Inko shouted over the din, shoving her body into the door. " _Run!"_


	16. Chapter 16

Of the remaining study sessioneers, only Kyoshi and Nanako were taking this with any degree of calm.

They'd found an awning to gather under while it rained. Yamada and Kyou were talking excitedly to distract themselves. Ishikawa and Ueno stood in silence while Hidemi and Hachi had less success with calming small talk.

"It's fine. Not like a villain got them or anything…"

"Probably not! I mean nothing was destroyed where we looked…"

"Right, right." Hachi hugged himself with two pairs of arms and fidgeted with his unoccupied fingers. "And Géroux's quirk doesn't work on somebody who's dead, so they have to be fine!"

Kyoshi wiped off his glasses on his shirt. "I think I've had enough of this. There's still a chance we can find them, before anything bad happens."

Everyone quieted down. Nanako was the only one to respond. "How? Géroux said we should stick together, and a bunch of teens wandering down alleys is hardly inconspicuous."

"We think about this logically." Kyoshi responded. "Like Géroux figured, they're stationary, even if her quirk can't find them right now."

"And they were moving in a direction!" Hidemi chimed in. "So if they're not moving now, then they have to be in a car or a hideout!"

"Hey, that's actually super reasonable, my dude." Yamada said. "If we looked around, we could maybe find a trace. Start with places that look abandoned or under construction. Nobody, like, _normal_ hangs out in there."

"Just a bunch of teens up to no good." Ishikawa smirked and held up a green hand. It quickly expanded and formed an umbrella shape that would be convincing at first glance. "What do you say we get started?"

"Wait!" Ueno spoke up. "I think some of us should stay here, just in case something happens with Géroux and Rina! What if they come back and we're all gone?"

Kyoshi tapped his chin. "You have a point. I suppose we can split our group in half. Who's she most likely to use to get back?"

All eyes turned to Yamada.

"Hey now!" He held his hands up. "You'll need someone with Hero training to go with you!"

"That's why I'm going, silly." Ishikawa didn't try hard enough to hide her amusement. "And besides, we all know you and Géroux are inseparable."

Yamada scowled. "It's because none of the rest of you appreciate American cinema and the classics! Did you know that Westerns are perhaps as big in France as they are-"

"Perfect." Kyou clapped. "We can stay here and I'll tell you why John Wayne is the _second best_ silver-screen cowboy!"

"What? You better take that back, Jack! Everybody knows The Duke is the coolest cat in the wild west!"

Nanako volunteered to say as well. "I've got a cold coming on already, and I don't think I'll be much help. My quirk really isn't uh… super practical here."

"I'll stay too." Hachi offered. "When Rina comes back, she'll want to know what's going on, and I think I'll be able to get it across without her freaking out."

Kyoshi nodded. "Sounds like a good plan. It's me, Hidemi, Ishikawa, and Ueno."

"Strategically, that sounds like the best team." Nanako commented. "Hidemi and Ueno will be great for surveillance. Plus, you and Ishikawa have destructive potential in case something goes bad."

Grinning, Kyoshi surveyed the match. "We should've had you divide teams in the first place. You're in Management after all."

"It wasn't my place to volunteer others." Nanako said. "Besides, it happened on its own well enough."

"Alright then!" Kyou clapped his hands. "Study sessioneer mobile division, get going!"

-\\\/-

The three of them burst out the front door of what looked like a closed-down convenience store. With the weather like it was, nobody was out of doors. The rain dripped off rooftops and slid down into the runoff. Even the chain-link fence separating the drainage canal form the sidewalk was soaked.

It seemed like they'd missed the most of it, only a mist now drifted down from the sky. Still, it was dark and wet. Not excellent conditions to make a getaway.

Toshinori took the initiative and slammed the door, bending back the handle to keep it from being opened a moment longer.

"That won't hold anyone long." He said. "We need to get out of here and call the police."

"Alright. I can run a little ways. So, we sh-should probably head for the nearest… What?" Both of them were giving Inko a look like she'd grown a second head.

"You're in no condition to run. You nearly died trying to walk in the dark."

Shouta may have been _right_ , but he sure wasn't helpful. Inko scowled at him. "What's the plan then? Do we walk away from the criminals after us?"

"I can carry you-" There was a _thud_ as a body hit the lightly barricaded door. "Quick, help her up. We have to move!"

Inko didn't argue as Shouta helped her onto Toshinori's back. He was nearly two feet taller than her, and that would be hard enough with working arms. It wasn't the most dignified thing Inko had ever done, but when the glass door cracked it didn't seem to matter much.

"Go! Go!" Shouta took off with Toshinori hot on his heels. Puddles splashed and rippled in their wake. Over Toshinori's shoulder, Inko could see the water runoff hadn't slackened. Even if they jumped the fence, the drainage canal probably wouldn't be navigable.

She could hear footsteps behind them. Maybe the series of turns Shouta led them through was working to shake Miss Direct off.

Maybe it worked for her, but it certainly didn't faze the headlights that flashed to life up ahead.

"Is that them?" Inko asked.

"I don't know…"

The engine growled.

"If it is, we shouldn't stay and find out! Come on!" Toshinori dashed around a corner. Maybe by making sharp turns they could lose the van from one end and Miss Direct from the other. Tires squealed behind them. Maybe that wouldn't work as well…

"We have to get somewhere where they can't follow!" Inko yelled. "If they all have to chase us on foot, we're probably faster!"

Shouta started scanning the streets ahead of them. The footsteps had faded, and there were a few low walls that might make for an efficient getaway. But, none of them were low enough to jump. In the lead, Shouta headed for an open alleyway and- Inko started as Toshinori slid to a halt. Shouta just _stopped_ before falling to one knee.

" _Augh!_ Is this Smoke's quirk? Making something invisible?" He staggered to his feet, shaking his head. "Make smoke walls, or...?"

Inko's eyes widened. She knew somebody who's quirk worked a lot like that. "Hidemi?" She called out. "Hidemi? We're over here!"

" _Gravity reverse!"_

Suddenly, the familiar figure of her classmate Ueno appeared in the air on the other side of a single story building. "I see them!" She called down. "Gravity reverse!"

Inko hoped there was someone there to catch her from such a height. Soon, Kyoshi appeared from around a corner. After him came Hidemi, one hand sliding along the invisible wall.

"There you are! We were worried-"

"Kyoshi!" Inko shouted. "Take it down!"

No sooner had she spoken than the van's headlights illuminated the street behind them.

Hidemi took her hands off the wall and a now-visible obstacle obstructed her. Kyoshi's hands appeared at the top and, like a hot knife through butter, melted away the concrete. Tiny grains littered the street before them until there was a gap big enough for people to squeeze through.

"Hurry!" Shouta gestured for Toshinori to go first, and for once they seemed to be of the same mind.

"Is Kyou here? Can he put it back?" Inko saw Ishikawa with Ueno, the former dismantling some kind of plant net back into her arm.

"No." Kyoshi said. "I think we just run."

The group started back the way they came, but it was soon apparent that their pursuers were just as dangerous on foot. Something like a cinderblock came flying through the air and slammed into Kyoshi's back. He took a tumble, and the rest of them stopped abruptly. Inko could see the object dissipating, like…

 _Smoke._

She turned her head, and the lanky criminal was at the end of the alley manipulating what looked like the van's exhaust. All of the sudden, he seemed to lose control. Smoke whipped his head toward the group and snarled.

Just as quickly, something big and fast came flying over the low wall. Ishikawa shot out a vine arm to counter and sent it off towards Smoke. In midair, Inko recognized Snapper. The turtle man opened his jaw wider than a person ought and snipped the vines midflight.

Ishikawa drew her plant arm back, the chlorophyll insides exposed and severed.

A shadow passed through the hole Kyoshi had made. Grav pointed a finger down the narrow alley. "Get them!"

"Run!"

Nobody argued. Ueno, at the front of the pack, grabbed one of Ishikawa's plant hands. "We can get help! Gravity reverse!" As quick as her suggestion, the pair soared into the air and, with the help of some speedy plant work, began zipping over the rooftops.

"This way!" Kyoshi, with Hidemi's help, led them down another sharp turn. It looked like they had enough of a head start to-

The world pitched forward. Inko, recognizing if not understanding the fall, held on for dear life. She saw Shouta turn just as she was knocked off Toshinori's back. Inko rolled through a puddle and slid to a stop a meter or two away. That _hurt_. And Toshinori couldn't be doing much better. Whatever it was had hit _him._

Panicked, Inko looked around sharply until she found him, and the smoke cloud drifting up and away from him. It must've been the same trick that floored Kyoshi. Only, she couldn't tell where he'd been hit. His legs, possibly? It took effort to push herself off the ground. Only then did she notice that Toshinori was as slow to do the same. _Oh no_. It seemed that with his hands occupied, he'd had nothing to stop him from crashing headfirst into the pavement.

"Gotcha, kiddo." It was Grav. Inko could make out three figures standing a ways off. One of them had a hand up-

She turned at the sound of hurried footsteps. Hidemi and Kyoshi. "Run!" Inko yelled. "He has a gun!"

As if to prove her point, a hideous _bang_ echoed off the buildings around them. Inko jumped, but no one looked shot. Maybe it was a warning?

There were hands on her shoulders, and Inko nearly screamed. It wasn't Miss Direct, or any of the gang. Shouta had ignored the warning to run. His eyes flashed and the rest of his face was drawn into a grimace.

"Thought you could run out on us like that?" Grav asked. "Miss Direct pointed us your way and I'm impressed. Impressed, and really angry."

He was holding his gun, but Smoke didn't seem to be conjuring any more projectiles for them. What was holding that back, Inko had no clue. Snapper was holding one arm funny, maybe from the sudden fall. Ishikawa could've thrown him enough off balance-

"Ah ah! Stay down big guy." Grav's gun clicked and Toshinori froze from where he was attempting to sit up. "You've caused us enough trouble with your faker act. Maybe you're too much trouble to try and keep."

"Don't!" Inko yelled. She had to do something. Stall them. Ueno and Ishikawa, plus Géroux and the others, were bound to send in reinforcements.

Grav laughed. "Don't? Sweetheart, you're not in a position to be making demands. Besides, I think we outmatch you three. And what do we have to lose? Some missing kids just _happen_ to warn their friends about a plot to kill Meteor? Maybe Team Terra's on the lookout tomorrow, but we still have our star player." Inko felt Shouta's hands tense before Grav continued. "I think we need only one hostage to get him to cooperate, and it's not the big guy."

"W-... The police will be here soon! Our f-friend has a teleportation quirk!"

Laughter from Smoke and Snapper. Grav didn't move. "But they're not here now, are they? It's just us and you kids and a quirk-proof weapon." He gestured to the empty alleyway with his gun.

It was the strangest sensation. In a moment of perfect clarity, Inko could see the alley like a jenga game. Something was keeping Smoke in check, and the only thing stopping Toshinori was the threat of- And Grav had said _quirk-proof_ so that meant he'd-... Her eyes shot to the advancing ringleader. _He'd called Toshinori a faker. He hadn't realized at all._

Inko lifted her shaking hands into the air. Her eyes were fixed on Grav. "Please!" She begged, sounding as pathetic as she could possibly manage. "I give up! Please don't shoot him! We'll do whatever you want!"

She watched his every move, more like a hawk in sparrow's clothing. Grav smirked, tilted his head to one side, spread his arms in a 'what can I do?' motion.

Inko pulled.

The stupefaction on Grav's face was priceless. It was like an old movie effect, some kind of slapstick gag. The gun leaped out of his hand and skittered through puddle after puddle until Inko wore herself out. She fell back onto Shouta, the gun sliding to a rest near Toshinori.

"Best of luck to you three." She said as the blond powerhouse got to his feet. Snapper, brave or stupid as he was, leapt to the challenge. Something electric cracked in the air as Toshinori swatted him back like a tennis ball.

Grav's face contorted. Ablaze with anger, he turned to his companion. "Smoke?"

The lanky man shrugged. "I have it for a second, and then it's gone!"

Snarling, Grav turned back towards Toshinori. "You won't last a second against me, kid! I'll crush you like a roach with your own jacket. How's that sound?"

Toshinori didn't move from his battle stance except to turn back to his fellow escapees and wink. "Sounds like someone who's grasping at straws." He extended his hand. _Come at me._ "Your quirk works on inorganic matter only. Who says I'm going to let you get that close?"

The noise Grav made was furious and inhuman. He ignored Smoke and lunged. Toshinori was ready. He had not only the benefit of knowing Gravimetric's fighting style, but also the benefits of age, strength, and a clear head.

Grav's punches flew wild, but none of them seemed to land. Toshinori was too quick. He laughed, swept the weaker leg from under his opponent, and decided the fight with a single crackling hit.

With Grav in the puddles, Smoke took a step back. It was him and Toshinori.

"Ready to surrender?"

A sound to her right put Inko on high alert. Footsteps, racing footsteps. They stopped abruptly with a grunt, and there, vaulting the wall was Miss Direct. She had a snarl on her lips and a knife in each hand, poised right in line with Toshinori.

" _Not today sister!_ "

Everyone's attention snapped to the end of the alley behind Smoke. Inko couldn't see, but all she needed to do was hear.

" _YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

The gunshot was nothing compared to the reverberating sound wave that blasted Miss Direct right off her feet. Inko's hands shot up to cover her ears as the would-be assassin dropped off the wall and onto the pavement.

"Coming at you live and right on time is some sweet, sweet reinforcements." Looking up, Inko could see him now. It was Yamada, followed closely by Ishikawa and Ueno. After his declaration, two thick vines shot out of the gloom and trapped Smoke and Miss Direct in an instant.

It was that moment that Shouta decided to speak up. "Inko, are you alright?"

This time, she managed to pull off a thumbs up. "Doing great. K-kinda glad we're not dead!"

Shouta was quiet a moment. "Me too. Seemed pretty unlikely a minute ago."

"Hey you crazy kids!" Yamada yelled from the other end of the alleyway. "How's everybody holding up?"

"I think we're alright!" Toshinori called back. "Definitely going to want a hot meal though!"

Yamada threw back his head and laughed. "Don't we all, my dude! But no worries- Géroux's coming through with the cops any minute! I'm sure you've got quite the hot update."

"You'll have to wait." Shouta joined in. "The police get the story first."

Throwing up his hands in mock anger, Yamada called dramatic curses on Shouta and gave him a few unflattering new nicknames. Shouta didn't move or respond. Trying to stifle a giggle while she was this tired was basically impossible, so Inko didn't try. Shouta looked at her with that same expression.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah," a voice said from overhead. Toshinori. "That extra exertion could've been dangerous."

Shouta's eyes narrowed, like someone who had said something very similar earlier. Inko waved his comment aside and let her hand fall on her stomach. It was too heavy to keep up for very long.

"Nah. I'm f-fine. Just-" She frowned, lifting her arm slightly to reveal a freshly leaking bandage. Not like the shirt wasn't ruined enough. "Oh. _Shoot._ "

"You should see a doctor. That kind of damage-"

"I'll carry you." Toshinori interrupted. It hardly seemed necessary to Inko, but when she tried to bend her own legs she got the point.

She sighed. "Fine. But d-don't drop me."

"Yeah, don't drop her." Shouta chimed in. The two boys exchanged glowers while Toshinori scooped Inko up. It was funny, how resting at his chest level was about the same height as her standing normally. _Holy cow he's tall._

As soon as they'd worked all this out, there was a new commotion from the end of the alleyway. Toshinori turned and Inko could see several adults- police officers- along with Géroux, Fukui from class, and… Oh boy.

"Secure the area!" The glow of the hero's costume was unmistakable. Suddenly, Inko wished she was somewhere else. Maybe her house, studying for the test like a normal student. Maybe in a whole different country.

Police officers rushed to properly apprehend their would-be kidnappers and relieve Ishikawa of her stopgap custody. Neon, the Bright Light homeroom teacher, stepped forward with his trademark light halo illuminating the scene.

"What happened? Kawakami, what's all this?" Shirota-sensei, Neon- their hero/teacher- seemed collected but astonished at all the carnage.

"Hello sir." Inko gave him her best grin. "We're n-not entirely sure… Shouta was abducted, you see, and-" She blinked hard and swallowed a yawn. _Not now_. "We're all fine! You missed all the fighting but it was short and um… self-defense…"

"Inko got hurt over-reaching her quirk's limits." Shouta butted in unhelpfully. "I think Yagi hit his head, but I'm fine." He ignored the dirty looks and pointed to where Grav was being handcuffed and dragged away. "That guy and his gang attacked me in the park."

"He's Gravimetric. Besides that, he said his plan was to kill Meteor and possibly Team Terra at the upcoming parade." Toshinori interrupted with some broader context. Neon's eyebrows rose.

"That's a story for the police, and one big debriefing once we get you kids checked out at the hospital. Has anyone called your parents?"

"We don't know. We just escaped a few minutes ago."

Neon blinked at Shouta's blunt delivery. "That's next on the list. I'm sure there's going to be a full investigation, but I'll say this: I'm glad I was on patrol tonight. And I'm glad things didn't get uglier. We've had a warrant out for Snapper since last October."

Toshinori grinned, taking that as praise, and Shouta's face stayed stony.

"Come on." Neon put a hand on Shouta's shoulder and started walking towards the other officers. "We've got an ambulance waiting on the main street. Fukui and Géroux from 1-A were worried there might be injuries. Looks like it was a sound precaution."

 _Thank goodness for that,_ Inko thought as she yawned again, _feels like I slammed my arms in a door._


	17. Chapter 17

Rina Fukui waited outside the office. Géroux from Class 1-A was taking a nap in the chair next to her, somehow balancing a whole bag of chips in her sleep. Detective Abe hadn't brought his dinner to work, but Head Detective Kita had. Rina had been unable to speak, staring at the Head Detective in awe as she gave the sluggish student a bag of something vaguely nacho flavored. Rina could smell the artificial flavoring- "hot"- from her seat. Géroux's fingers were covered in scarlet powder.

The door to Detective Abe's office opened abruptly. Rina kept her face composed. She would carry herself with as much dignity and decorum as any officer of the law, as any representative of UA. After all, tips from respectable and honest students were listened to without hesitation. She had earned Detective Abe's trust and would not soon betray it.

"Miss Fukui?" She turned her head, alert and attentive. Detective Abe had the slightest grin on his face. He was a man who had just heard some good news. "That was Neon's office."

Unable to contain her excitement, nervousness, or whatever was jumping around in her stomach, Rina stood. Géroux didn't even stir.

"Four of them, one with a concealing quirk, exactly as you said. I've been in contact with the other precinct too- they're pretty glad to wrap up such nasty business in their jurisdiction."

Rina blinked. That was exciting! "Will there be anything else required of me, Detective Abe, sir?"

He looked like he wanted to laugh, but refrained. "Since you've provided a very clear and detailed testimony, probably not. If every witness told it like you did, there wouldn't be any unsolved crime anymore." He grinned in earnest. "This was some fine work."

Rina tried to think of something to say. "Thank you, sir." It didn't seem like enough, but she supposed if she said much more, she might start to tear up. That wouldn't do. Not in front of a Detective.

"I just got off the phone with Miss Géroux's parents." A voice spoke up from down the hall. No, Rina certainly couldn't get misty-eyed in front of the _Head_ Detective.

"The Gérouxs are understandably worried, but hardly flying off the handle." Head Detective Kita stopped at Detective Abe's side. "It would be a different story if you two had gotten involved in matters yourselves, but you did the right thing by reporting here first."

Standing up straighter, Rina responded. "It's up to the police departments and hero offices to take action against crime by the letter of the law, and a civilian's job to report and discourage criminal activity as their civic duty."

Detective Abe pursed his lips and looked at the floor, while the Head Detective cracked a smile. "That's about word-for-word out of our student crime prevention brochure. Do a lot of light reading while you waited?"

Rina was sure she turned as red as a beet. What was the point in regurgitating literary material to the people who wrote it? _Stupid, stupid-_

Detective Kita laughed. "If you learn police procedure like you learned that piece, you'd make Detective by the time you're old enough to drive. Might even take Abe's job by the time you can drink."

"Hey!" Kita chuckled at Abe's mock outburst and turned back down the hall.

"Good work, Miss Fukui."

Eventually, Detective Abe shook his head and- after informing Rina that both their parents were on the way- headed back into his office. Rina sat down heavily in her chair next to Géroux. Her fellow student snored lightly.

"She remembered my name, Géroux." Rina whispered. "She said I could make Detective by twenty!"

-\\\/-

When Ueno and Ishikawa had dropped from the sky in front of the rest of the gang, then run off with Yamada, it had left the rest of the study sessioneers in a bit of a funk.

"Don't you guys follow us!" Yamada had yelled. "This is real dangerous stuff!"

"And kind of illegal." Ishikawa deadpanned.

Kyou was leaning against one of the support poles for the awning. They were all soaked, though he was the only one attempting to slick his hair back "like a gangster" and take advantage of the weather.

"So we just stay here?"

"Yes." Nananko looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "It's super dangero-"

A less than distant _pop_ interrupted her.

"Holy crap, that was a gunshot!" Kyou stopped slouching and looked around. "Holy crap- what if that was _them_ and they shot somebody?"

"Maybe it was a warning shot…" Hachi was hugging himself with all his arms, looking about more rattled than he had all evening. "I mean… there'd be more. For more people. You know?"

"Maybe they got the shooter. That could be why he only… umm…" Nanako wrung her hands and glanced the way their classmates had run.

Sudden footsteps in the alley behind them made the three sessioneers jump. Hachi twitched his arms out and stood in front of the other two.

"S-stay behind me." He swallowed hard, wondering just _who_ was going to come around that corner.

The whole group visibly relaxed when it was only Hidemi and Kyoshi, though 'relaxed' became inaccurate as they noticed Kyoshi was struggling.

"What happened?" Kyou hurried out from under the awning to help Hidemi. "Did you get shot? Was that you?"

"No." Kyoshi did look like he'd seen a ghost. "There's a villain back there. A bunch of them. He fired a warning shot, and we ran."

"Inko's still back there!" Hidemi interjected. "She's hurt real bad! I think they tortured her!" The rest of the sessioneers jolted. Torture? Did that mean there were _real villains_ back there?

Hachi and Kyou helped Kyoshi sit on the relatively dry welcome mat under the awning. The building sported a big 'closed for repairs' sign and no worries of being ejected for loitering. Kyoshi coughed lightly and leaned up against the building.

"One of them looked like a big turtle, and the other could manipulate fog or something. He got – _hhh-_ me, then took out the big guy. You know, Yagi with the-…" He gestured around his head. The others knew those wild locks well enough to get the idea.

Hidemi pulled at the strings on her jacket. "There was another kid with them. Any of you remember Aizawa? Used to be in our class. Nanako, I don't know if you-"

"The kid who can erase quirks?" Nanako confirmed. "Yeah I know him. Everybody in Management knows about him. He almost won the Sports Festival after all. Tons of people were impressed with him."

"Right!" Hidemi said. "He was there with Inko. I think they were friends before he switched classes-"

Their conference was interrupted again by the sound of sirens. Several flashing lights approached as well as a different kind of light. A light on… a motorcycle?

"That's Shirota-sensei!" Kyou yelled. "Hey! Over here! Kyoshi got shot!"

" _I didn't get shot!"_

The motorcycle screeched to a halt by the curb and Neon, the Homeroom Hero, hurried over.

"I'm not shot!" Kyoshi said. "But somebody else might be!"

"They were kidnapped!" Hidemi interrupted. "Straight back down that alley! Three villains, three students! One seriously injured!"

Neon didn't pause. He directed the police officers to follow him. Some did, and a handful stayed to check out Kyoshi and the supposed shooting. Kyou blissfully ignored the daggers being shot his way as his classmate was herded into a black-and-white.

The four remaining study sessioneers were huddled under the awning for questioning as the sun finally faded from the overcast sky.

-\\\/-

Toshinori knew he was in trouble. He'd taken down two villains by himself, with his quirk, as a minor. He knew _exactly_ how bad this looked and essentially what the consequences would be. This would go on his record. He might even be _expelled…_

While he was mulling over his fate, that kid Shouta was bouncing his leg three chairs down. The quick _tap tap tap tap tap tap_ was about to drive Toshinori up the wall. Didn't they have enough to worry about? He was pretty sure it was Aizawa's quirk that had stopped Smoke from killing them at a distance. Toshinori remembered seeing him in the Sports Festival. He knew what the little punk was capable of.

And so did Grav. The puzzle that had been spinning in his head for an hour now was _why Aizawa?_ He was… small enough to kidnap, sure, but would a quirk like his be any good for an assassination? How far did Grav's plan extend, to be confident that an uncooperative kid would get the job done for them?

To top it off, Grav's original plan didn't even include him and Inko as hostages. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to stop his blood from boiling at the reminder. Inko was _nice._ She was helpful and smart and didn't deserve all the _crap_ Grav and the others gave her. She'd outsmarted them all in the end. He began tapping one finger on his knee. Even he'd been drawn in by her act. Toshinori remembered all too well the silent promises he'd made to make sure every member of the gang paid for what they were doing. Not very heroic but… Grav had the look of a murderer. The kind of man who would casually threaten to kill innocent people. Those were the worst kind of villains. The ones who would hurt or kill anyone they liked simply to further their purposes.

He breathed deeply and tried to clear the emotion like he'd been taught. Anger was a powerful thing, but a thing that must be controlled before it could control him. His mentor had taught him that. She was wiser than he thought he'd ever realize.

Toshinori smoothed back his emotions and laid all the memories on the table. What had Grav said? He planned to kill Meteor, possibly all of Team Terra using only his crew and Aizawa. The assets he had were his own quirk, concealment of at least seven people- possibly more, Snapper's abilities, Smoke's quirk-

He stopped. Smoke's quirk. By his best guess, the lanky criminal could control gases of some sort. It didn't seem to affect the air around them… Toshinori thought back to the projectile that had hit the other student, one of Inko's friends. He could _see_ it before Aizawa took action. Maybe Smoke's quirk only worked on visible gases?

That was a huge asset, but it was only one part of the puzzle. Snapper, at least, had a record and it could not be discounted that the others would as well. Perhaps Smoke was a known assassin.

The other pieces of the puzzle were trickier. Grav was incredibly intelligent, even before he became a criminal. He would know Team Terra's weaknesses better than anyone else. So who was there to exploit? Meteor, of course, and Lady Redwood, Miss Sola, Typhona, Volcanian-

 _Oh dear._ That was an angle. Toshinori had been to Appreciation Day parades before. Team Terra wasn't always headlining, but they always showed up. Most of them. They always left at least one member at the office with their catalog of sidekicks. Grav had a one in four chance than Volcanian would stay away, but the Quick Heating Hero often partnered with the Sea Spray Hero Typhona to put on a dazzling steam show.

It would be just the kind of thing for Smoke to utilize. A whole cloud of steam that he could bend and drop at will? That would cause some serious damage. But Meteor-… Meteor was different. The leader of Team Terra would be able to survive the heaviest onslaught with ease. All he would have to do is summon rock armor from the-

 _He removed the blindfold and Aizawa's eyes blazed at once._

"That's it!" He slapped his leg and the chair three down screeched across the floor. Toshinori turned and Aizawa was looking at him like he'd just proclaimed he was king of the world.

Toshinori leapt to his feet, grinning. "I know what they planned to do! Grav was _counting on_ you being stubborn and angry! When I took off your blindfold, what was the first thing you did?"

Aizawa stared at him. "I didn't know who you were so I erased your-"

"You erased my quirk! The first person you saw, you erased my quirk! If Grav had timed that with another strike at Team Terra-"

"He could've killed them." Aizawa got to his feet as well. "As long as I wasn't targeting someone with a mutation quirk-"

"Meteor controls rock!" Toshinori snapped. "Smoke could've done anything, he could've easily-"

The double doors behind him flew open. In his excitement, Toshinori hadn't listened for footsteps. Both students turned to find three police officers, a nurse and… He stiffened. Gran Torino. They must've called him after-

"That's a relief. I was worried we'd have to reprimand them." One of the officers was smiling at Torino, who looked less than pleased. "But if he's registered, then self-defense is a non-issue."

"He's in the system as my apprentice, under the name 'Sudden Impact'." Torino sniffed. "Not cleared for solo Hero duty, but authorized to defend himself in a life or death scenario. Impact." He addressed Toshinori by a name that sounded legitimate. It had likely been made up on a whim who knows how long ago.

"Yes sir." Toshinori stood up straighter. "One of the assailants had a gun, and the other two were actively attacking civilians with their quirks."

"And you were the only quirk user intervening?"

He swallowed. Gran Torino wanted one answer and it wasn't the truth.

"Yes sir. Another student aided me in restraining the assailants as I was not in a position to do so, but that was it."

The lead officer pondered this for a moment, but he deemed everything acceptable. "That's fine. We're glad no one was seriously hurt in the altercation."

"There was one student." Aizawa spoke up suddenly. "One of the guys- Smoke- used his quirk. Hit him. Was he taken to the hospital as well?"

 _As well._ "Yes." The lead officer replied. "He's being treated for minor injuries. I can't release any personal information but-"

"That's fine." Aizawa interrupted. He sat back down in his seat, apparently finished with this conversation. Toshinori narrowed his eyes. Aizawa was being awfully ungrateful for someone who'd just been saved from legal ramifications. But, he had saved them from Smoke. Toshinori supposed they were even.

He directed his attention to the nurse. "Do we have any word on Ink- Kawakami? Is she alright?"

The nurse, who had been little more than a fly on the wall during all this, perked up. "She's in recovery. Doctor Maki reports no major injuries. Her parents are in there now but if they agree to allow visitors-"

It would've been a footrace for which of them could get to the room first if not for Gran Torino.

"Impact, a moment."

Reluctantly, Toshinori allowed himself to be steered aside by the older, shorter man. His mentor. His homeroom teacher. Various emotions bubbled up in his gut, but if he didn't stay and listen he'd be in even bigger trouble that he would have been with police.

When they were alone, Gran Torino glared. "Do you know the kind of paperwork I had to do to get you cleared as an apprentice? Doesn't matter that I did it months ago- the point is that you shouldn't have gotten involved! The police were alerted, and pro heroes besides! What were you thinking?"

Toshinori stayed quiet. Evidently, the police had not apprised his mentor of the whole situation. As far as he knew, the old man had just arrived.

"I was thinking they were going to shoot her." He mumbled at first, but slowly attained confident volume. "It was an accident. We walked right into the middle of a kidnapping, and he had a gun pointed at her head the whole time."

Gran Torino's glare softened, but not by much. "You're fast. You could use more training, but you're fast enough to dodge."

"I'm not… fast enough for two." Toshinori admitted. "Not fast enough for three, either. Well, I _might_ be, but I couldn't take that chance. When he wasn't going to kill Inko, he was ready to kill Aizawa."

"And take out his big asset?"

Toshinori started. His mentor had figured that trick out pretty quickly. "Maybe. He could've killed or hurt a lot of people with just one of the quirks on his team." He resisted the urge to shuffle his feet. "We almost didn't make it out."

Gran Torino was looking a lot less angry and more and more confused. Curious. "What could possibly stop you the-" he gave the hallway a quick glance, "-the heir to One For All?"

Toshinori swallowed. "You know Grav's quirk. He made a pair of handcuffs so heavy even I couldn't lift them. And then he threw away the key."

Now Gran Torino was intrigued. "So how did you 'barely' escape?"

"It was Inko. That's why she's been admitted. None of Grav's people laid a hand on her. Her quirk is the attraction of small objects. Grav made the key too heavy for me to lift even if I could reach it, but she got it all the way across the room and into the lock." He was whispering with energy. "I was trying to think of a way to take down Grav if they ever came back to check on us, but she used her quirk on a plan I'd already dismissed. And then, she stole Grav's gun in the alley when she didn't even have the strength walk. She saved me!"

They were quiet a long moment. Toshinori was still reeling from the experience. He'd set out to save Inko and Aizawa, but they'd both saved him. It was humbling. It made him want to train that much harder. He'd been ready to give up in that grimy office. But Inko had smiled. It was a sharp reminder of what he wanted to be, what he needed to do.

Gran Torino sighed and rolled his eyes. "Go see her, kid. You've got half and hour or until her parents kick you out. Whichever comes first. Then," his face took on a mischievous glint for an old man, "you've got speed training tonight."

-\\\/-

There were a lot of things Shouta didn't like about this. About today. He'd been jumped by a bunch of goons after a bathroom break. _A bathroom break_. The fact that they'd followed him and learned his schedule was bad enough. They knew what park he practiced in, how he worked out. They knew him from the Sports Festival, probably. That was why Snapper had grabbed him. They knew his quirk wouldn't get cancelled.

Then there was Inko. At first, he thought they were smarter than they were, getting her. She was one of his only friends at UA, and the first he'd made. They might not talk or hang out or socialize in any way, but Inko was cool. He thought they'd found her as a bonus, seen them talking and took advantage of their lucky break. His fury was only abated by the fact that it was an accident.

And _then_ there was Yagi. The golden boy. Top of Class 1-A. Hizashi never shut up about him when he complained about 1-A's grueling tests of strength and blah blah blah… How he'd managed to get wrapped up in all this- It just proved to Shouta that he wasn't so perfect after all. He was too weak and let Inko get hurt. If he couldn't protect her from some garden-variety thugs, what was the point?

But sitting there in the hospital, having listened while he spilled his story to the police, Shouta had another kind of doubt. Yagi had apparently done everything he could. And Shouta didn't have much room to talk. He'd been completely dependent on their help. If it wasn't for Inko, Yagi wouldn't have been able to free him.

Shouta remembered the first day of school. He'd chosen not to demonstrate his quirk since it was so basic. He remembered surveying everyone's quirks and sizing up the competition. He remembered why he'd picked Inko to help him other than her grades. Because with a quirk like that, she really had no potential to contest him as a hero.

He was dead wrong. Maybe not the way he'd originally thought, but he was wrong about her. Inko had saved the top Heroics student at UA, saved him, and brought a criminal mastermind to his knees. She did it without letting anyone get hurt but herself.

Someone else might say Shouta was giving her too much credit, but he hardly thought so. All the ideas he could remember in that pell-mell escape were hers. She'd orchestrated the whole thing.

Yagi somehow managed to take all the credit and save them all from misdemeanor charges as well, which was infuriating. Shouta scoffed quietly at the report and bolted for the door as soon as he was allowed. On the way, he tried to redo and smooth out his ponytail. He didn't care about his looks, but her parents were more likely to let him talk if he didn't look like a hoodlum.

He found her room super quickly. Yagi was nowhere in sight. Apparently, she was sharing with someone else, but when Shouta knocked on the open door, he could only see Inko's bed and her parents. It wasn't any of his business.

"Excuse me."

The Kawakamis turned to look at the new arrival. They weren't giving him dirty looks, so he supposed he didn't look that scraggly.

"Can I visit?"

"Shouta?"

He couldn't see Inko because of the curtain concealing the top half of her bed, but she sounded awake enough for visitors. Hopefully.

Mr. Kawakami gave him a small smile. He looked tired, not fed up with Shouta, so that was a good sign. "I'm guessing you're one of Inko's friends. Come on in. We were just discussing dinner plans."

"I'm going home after this." Shouta said. He walked into the room quickly, but not at an alarming pace. Inko was sitting up in bed, both arms heavily bandaged and put in padded slings for support. Dinner plans must refer to how on earth they planned to feed her. "I just wanted to stop in and say hi."

Inko was grinning at him. "Hi, then! How are you feeling?"

Shouta blinked. "Isn't that what I should be asking? I'm fine. What's the deal with your arms?"

Mrs. Kawakami made a coughing sound but Shouta wasn't looking at her. Or talking to her. He'd asked Inko.

She seemed less than impressed with his manners, as usual. "The doctor said I pulled most of the big muscles in my arms, and a all of the ones in my hands. Somehow. No wonder it hurt!"

He could hardly see how she managed to make light of this. Maybe it was the pain medication. "Did you need surgery? It was fast."

Inko shook her head. "Not really. Doctor Maki just numbed my hands and made me not watch while she used her quirk to mend things." She had a strange glint in her eyes now. "It was amazing! I couldn't see, but apparently she had to go in and touch the muscle and her quirk fixed it! Bones too! She said it was all messed up but that I won't even have scars because of her quirk! Isn't that incredible?"

Shouta blinked again. It was a statement, for sure. "I think it'd be more incredible if your quirk… didn't do that."

Now, Inko flushed red. "It's n-not supposed to." She looked at her parents briefly, like she was explaining this away. "It wouldn't have! Except the key was really heavy. It wouldn't do this for ordinary things."

"That's a relief." Shouta deadpanned. "So, you'll be at school soon? Monday?"

"Recovery Girl is going to visit tomorrow." Mrs. Kawakami interjected. "Doctor Maki's quirk only lets her fix so much. She can mend breaks but not strains. Since Inko's a UA student, Recovery Girl is making a house call. Isn't that right Inko?"

Inko nodded. "I'm in her extracurricular course so she said not to worry about it. But since it was a lot of little muscles, I'll need to rest for a few days."

"Okay." Shouta took another glance at the slings. _She saved my life._ "If you want, I can have Géroux bring you your homework. Since she can just… you know."

"Thanks!" Inko beamed. "I won't be able to do it for a few days, but it'll be nice to know what we're doing."

Shouta was about to say something else when there was a much louder, obnoxious knocking on the door.

"Sorry!" _Yagi._ "Sorry, is Inko Kawakami in here?"

"I'm going to go home now." Shouta said. "I hope you recover quickly. If you need anything, just ask." He nodded to her parents and pushed past Yagi in the doorway.

 _One day._ Shouta thought. _One day, nobody will get hurt for me again. I'll get to the top because I'm the best, not just the shiniest._ _And then they'll do it all my way._

-\\\/-

It wasn't a _real_ surgery. That was probably the coolest part. Doctor Maki said she had hairline fractures on some finger bones from the stress. Mostly just muscle stuff, though. Inko thought that was alright compared to being dead. The more she thought about it, the more she was sure Grav would've never let them go alive.

She didn't feel any pain. Of course, Doctor Maki had said, there was a difference between 'fixed' and 'well'. A fixed wall could be weak at the repair site. That was why they were calling in Recovery Girl. Shirota-sensei had arranged everything. That was really cool.

Her parents were really worried though. They were already here when she got out of surgery. It was a bit of a mess when they were trying to come in and her 'roommate'- a girl with an appendectomy scheduled- was trying to go. But they were going to have the space to themselves for a little bit.

Her mom was worried sick. She knew what kind of stress weight could put on the bones because of her own quirk, but had a hard time believing the key had been so heavy.

"It broke clean through the desk, Mom."

"Well it might've-"

"Honey, it punched _clean through._ That's pretty awesome!"

If her Mom's quirk was laser glaring, the marriage wouldn't have survived this far.

"Come on!" Her dad laughed. He was clearly relieved, and had managed to find some humor in this to help ease the tension. "It weighed too much for- what was his name?- that giant from the Sports Festival to pick up, and she did it! Our little Inko is a big lifter after all, honey!"

Her mother's lip twitched like she was trying very hard to look serious. Inko giggled.

"I don't think this is _ever_ going to happen again, so you don't need to worry!" Inko interjected. "And everyone's alright! If anything, I'm excited because I got to see what a quirk doctor looks like in real life!"

"Inko!" Her mother gasped. "It was hardly worth-"

"Excuse me."

Her parents turned to look at the door.

"Shouta?"

There he was, ponytail and all. She was surprised that he was here, but then again, maybe someone had wanted to check him out after the attack. If Grav had knocked him out, Shouta could have a concussion. But to wait all this time to be able to visit…

She could've cried laughing. He was his same old self. Inko caught her mother making exasperated faces at his back. Her father was hard-pressed not to laugh. But wasn't that just Shouta? He was funny in a polarizing way. You loved him or hated him.

 _"Sorry, is Inko Kawakami here?"_

She saw the pained look cross Shouta's face. The voice, she knew as well. Whatever disagreement he and Toshinori had, it was beyond her. At least they hadn't been cooped up together, it seemed. And she hadn't heard any shouting matches tonight. Maybe Shouta just didn't get along well with loud boisterous people. _But what about Yamada-_

Shouta made a hasty retreat and Toshinori entered, confused. He introduced himself to her parents, bowing and really turning on the charm.

"I'm sure the police have told you everything, but if it wasn't for Inko, we wouldn't have made it out. She's the real hero of the day."

It was doing wonders for her mother's mood, but her dad's wandering eyebrows sounded the warning bells in her mind. While her mother was distracted, he made eye contact with Inko and held up two fingers, mouthing ' _two boys_?'

If she were able, she'd bury her face in her hands. Her mouth formed a thin line and she rapidly shook her head before freezing with a smile when the attention was back on her.

"I didn't know he was in your study group, Inko! How come you've never mentioned him before?"

"He just joined!" She said honestly. The study sessions had only happened twice. _Sweet-talker._

"And I wish we could have done actual studying." Toshinori said. "I had my notes ready and a snack for-" Comically, his stomach chose this moment to growl.

"Oh! I bet you haven't eaten in hours. Here, honey, let's go grab the kiddos some snacks!"

Toshinori held up his hands. 'oh there's no need- I'm leaving with my uncle soon and-…"

Her dad left them with an unsubtle wink. Inko could've died. It was _just like him_ to pull a stunt like this.

"They seem very nice!" Toshinori scratched the back of his head. There was a front to his demeanor, a falseness Inko couldn't quite pin down. He was laying on the charm for her parents… maybe so they wouldn't worry? It made sense, but it sounded exhausting.

"They're great." Inko tilted her head and tried to get a read on him. "You can say whatever it is you're thinking about. Might as well do it if you're leaving soon."

Toshinori froze. _Got him._ He looked to the dividing curtain, then the other one. He looked at Inko's overlapping slings, then met her eyes. Toshinori was about as despondent as he had been in the damp office shackled to the floor. Inko, for the life of her, didn't understand why.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to be able to fix it before it started, but he had a gun on you and-"

"Don't apologize." Inko blurted. She was surprised with her own bluntness, but she plowed on. "Never apologize for doing everything you could. It wasn't, like, your _job_ to shut him down. We're…" she stammered, "we're kids. That stuff shouldn't happen to kids, but it did. And we made it, so no apologies alright?"

Toshinori was floored. Inko was worried she might've said something wrong when he finally snapped out of it.

"OK. No apologies, then. Not unless I'm really elbow deep in it. Um… How are your arms?"

She chuckled at his sharp transition. "They're fine. Apparently, this kind of thing can be fixed with ease! They have a great quirk doctor here, and Recovery Girl is going to come in and polish off the rest. I'll be back at school like it was nothing!"

The words seemed to take a weight off Toshinori's shoulders. "That's wonderful! I'm sure they'll send someone with your homework."

Inko smiled. "Shouta volunteered to help."

"Right." There was that hint of an issue again. "Well, if he doesn't, I'll make sure it gets to you."

The conversation seemed to be dying out. Inko tried to think of something else, but her parents chose to re-enter then.

"Hey sweetheart, they had your favorite!" Her dad held up two bags of pretzel sticks. "Your mom got cheesy curls."

"Stop!" She tapped her husband's arm in mock offense. "For all she knows I got a granola bar."

Her dad winked again and handed one of the pretzel bags to Toshinori. "You've gotta be starving, kiddo. Have one for the road."

"Thank you, sir." He took the bag and held it a moment, before glancing at the door. "Hate to eat and run, but my uncle is waiting, and he's been worried about today to be honest. I think it would be best if I got back to him."

"Bye Toshinori!" Inko said. "I'd wave, but…"

That got a real smile out of him for the first time tonight. Maybe he could finally see everything was fine.

Toshinori left, and the revolving door to her room let in another visitor. Doctor Maki was a tall, slender woman with perfect hair and a perfect uniform. She had the professionalism of an ideal doctor, if Inko had to describe one.

"How are we doing in here? No pain?"

Inko shook her head. "None. I am feeling awfully tired though."

Doctor Maki made a note and nodded. "To be expected. The medication does that, as well as the toll your body has taken today. You'll need a good few days of rest- total rest- if you want to recover quickly.

Inko nodded back. Doctor Maki smiled and continued. "You're free to go tonight if you want. The police and I spoke and they said they would hold off questioning until tomorrow at the earliest." She reached into her labcoat pocket and produced a pill bottle, which she handed to Inko's mother.

"Those are your pain pills. You should only need one every six hours until you've completed the bottle. I'm told Recovery Girl will be visiting tomorrow?" Inko nodded again. "Wonderful. Then these should go quickly. Don't feel the need to wake up to take your dosage at six hours on the dot, as long as you don't take them earlier than once every six hours. Sound good?"

It sounded great, but going home sounded better. Everything flew by after that, whether it was because of the meds or the rapid nature of the discharge. Inko was out of of the hospital within the hour. She was asleep within minutes of getting settled at home, a stack of pillows supporting her and preventing her from rolling.

That night, her dreams were of a parade float. Yagi flexed on one side, Shouta stood stoically on the other, and Hidemi made the whole main base invisible. Inko stood at the front in a white labcoat of her own, next to Laserman and Neon.

To the whole crowd, it looked like they were flying.


	18. Chapter 18

Inko Kawakami, bag full to bursting with papers, almost missed her train. She managed to scoot through the closing doors without losing any of her study materials and find a spot in the standing room. Her mind was spinning with different lists, memorization tricks… she had to keep them together. Hero laws, Quirk laws, there was a lot to remember.

The train lurched to a start. Inko's brain was already tumbling with the next set of questions. Triage procedures, hazmat protocol, and mutation quirk first aid were all covered under the same section. She took her hand off the bar and fished around for an index card. Inko scribbled a note as she braced her shoulder against one of the poles. The train was still speeding along.

UA let third-year students have select days off if entrance exams for higher education facilities coincided with school days. Hidemi had already taken one to apply for a Med program up in Osaka. Inko had helped her study, using the time tested, unofficial guide their former upperclassman Mizushima had passed down. Hidemi said it felt fine. But like all these tests, results were agonizing to wait for.

A bump jostled the passengers like so many water bottles in a basket. Everyone swayed in the same rhythm as the train made a turn and started the new straightaway towards the next station. Inko was thinking about the jostling and about the documentary that had aired last week about the political impact of quirks. They said people could've been vacationing on the moon if quirks hadn't appeared or, as one historian theorized, if they had been accepted straight away.

It was interesting to think about. If people had been willing to work with the new powers instead of trying to ostracize people, how would their lives be different today? Every generation had a chance to change the world. Inko began to wonder, as the landscape flashed by outside the window, what her generation would accomplish. She gripped the strap of her bag tightly. Maybe today would be one more step towards that new future.

The station pulled up to meet them and Inko was one of the first passengers off. She immediately headed for the gate and the street. Today was a big step, she just knew it. Inko took one step.

It was almost winter. There was no reason for the concrete to melt, to slide and roll up into a tube. Inko and a few of the others who had just exited the train tried to brace themselves against the newly curved wall at their backs, blocking the exits of the train and effectively closing them in a tunnel. One man started panicking, but the concrete did not compress them further. There was almost room to stand, if it weren't for the roundness of the floor.

A woman was helping a fallen child, and Inko noticed that of all the newly trapped commuters, she was closest to the exit.

"This way, everyone! Let me check and see if it's safe."

Most of the people were still regaining their bearings. One man nodded at her, and for the first time, Inko could hear the commotion from the train. Several scenarios ran through her head as she ventured towards the end of the tunnel. Was it a villain attack? Could it be someone was trying to hold a whole train hostage?

Daylight leaked through the opening- perfectly circular- and Inko approached with caution. She had her bag around on her back so it wouldn't be easy to grab if someone was out there. Holding her breath, Inko crept forward. The others behind her were gathering themselves and approaching.

Inko stuck her head out, low, to get a good look- something hard and fast like a knee struck her and sent a masked figure flying. Inko dropped to the ground. There was shouting, and then someone touched her shoulder gently.

"Hey, are you alright?"

The noise that ended up coming out was something like an exhausted groan, but Inko started pushing herself off the ground. The newcomer helped her up. There was a wet warmth on her face, and Inko was starting to worry her nose might be broken. At the very least, it was going to hurt.

A new voice called over the commotion, "Citizens! You are clear to exit! The villain has been apprehended." With this declaration, a strange calm washed over Inko. She blinked away the surprise tears that had sprung up and looked to her rescuer.

"Eiko Tanaka!"

"Inko Kawakami!"

Her eyes didn't deceive her. There was her old acquaintance, hair splayed out in all directions. One strand was reaching down to gather up Inko's fallen papers, while another stretched further and held a scary looking woman captive. A Pro Hero- _Radiant-_ was busy handcuffing the wild lady. Eiko, she noticed, had on a similar looking costume-

"You're Radiant's new sidekick?" As much as she'd followed hero news, Inko had no idea before this moment. Often times, sidekicks were just listed by their Hero names in the paper. The blurb on Radiant's new addition had listed her as 'Keroine'. And Eiko sure looked the part. In addition to her costume she was taller and far more muscular than she was all those years ago. It seemed like she'd really worked hard to go pro.

Eiko beamed. "Yep! And what are you up to? Still in school?"

Inko was grinning too, despite the bruising that was really starting to sting. "I'm in the UA Gen-Ed program! I'm going to try and be a quirk doctor which- Oh!" She activated her quirk to sweep up the last of her papers. "I have a test!"

Eiko was quick to help her up. "Then we have to get you cleared!" She turned to her boss. "Mister Radiant! We have an express case!"

"What?" The calm of the moment seemed to fade before returning with astonishing speed. _Radiant's quirk: emotion wave_. The pro could affect the emotions of people around him within a certain radius. It seemed like he was focusing on calming the crowd at the moment.

Radiant finished cuffing the villain and sat her down next to, presumably, the mess she'd made. "The police will be here any minute. Can it wait for questioning?" As soon as he saw Inko's face Radiant doubled the feeling of ease. He reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a bursting packet of cotton balls.

"I have a test in fifteen minutes." Inko explained. Eiko stepped back and let her boss administer first aid. "I've been given special permission from school-"

"Say no more!" Radiant dabbed at her face a second before handing her a few of the cotton balls. "Rip these in half to stop up the bleeding. Keroine will take down your name and testing location for the police. I'm sure questioning can wait a few minutes."

Inko frowned as she rolled up the cotton ball and proceeded stuffing it up her nose. _Ouch_. "Is it really that important? We have other witnesses."

Radiant beamed. "Well, you were injured stopping a dangerous villain from escaping, so I imagine they'll have a few things to say."

She looked down at the bloodied cotton ball in her hand and over to the woman on the concrete. " _Oh_."

"Mister Radiant-" Eiko interjected. "This is my old friend Inko. She's at UA so we can get ahold of her pretty easily. But, she is in a hurry! It's an important test!"

"Right, right!" Radiant stepped back. "How about you escort her? I think I've got things pretty wrapped up here!"

Eiko saluted. "Right away Mister Radiant!" She turned back to Inko. "Ready to run?"

It was the most professional mad-dash Inko had ever made. Being escorted by an official sidekick had its perks. The police moved right out of the way as the pair started running towards the street, Inko calling out directions and the much faster Eiko- _Keroine_ \- leading the way. It wasn't seven minutes before they were panting in front of the testing site. Most of the formalities at the front desk were bypassed as well. In the presence of a pro, all Inko had to do was produce her school ID.

Before she had to enter the testing room, Inko turned back to her old friend. "Eiko- I _wanded do tank you-_ "

The sidekick snorted and waved her hands. "No need, Inko- your nose is too swollen anyhow. Go take your test!" Eiko grinned. "Maybe when you're a quirk doctor you can fast-pass my case."

" _I hobe not!_ " Inko collected herself, stood up straight, and nodded to Ekio. " _Bud tank you again!"_

It was funny, the grader thought later on, after the test had run its course and the results were run through. The latest and only injured test-taker got the highest mark.


	19. Chapter 19

The QHC Research & Medical Center. This cutting edge facility hosted groundbreaking studies and afforded some of the nation's best in quirk-related treatment. Of course, the Quirk Health Council's shining gem also got a lot of hero traffic.

" _Doctor Kawakami to the ER. Paging Doctor Kawakami, ER."_

Inko finished the last of her grapes and tossed the plastic bag into the nearest receptacle. This was likely one of the casualties from the factory explosion- breaking news in the break room sometimes telegraphed the next cases. Inko sanitized her hands, but was prepared for the soap & wash at the station outside the ER. Hidemi, her very favorite nurse, was waiting with a clipboard.

"Shrapnel." Unlike usual, Hidemi's expression was pinched with worry. An unusual case, then. "Patient is elderly- well, Inko it's Laserman."

That explained it. "I'll hurry. What's his condition?"

"Stable, so far. We're more concerned with infection and complications than we are with the surgery itself."

"Then we'll make it quick." Inko dried off her hands and pulled on surgical gloves. Her mask was next, and the pair made their way into the surgical theater. The Pro Hero Laserman was awake and alert by all appearances. There was another nurse on the scene keeping him calm and monitoring his condition. She gave them the all clear before prepping the IV bag with the anesthetic.

"Hello, sir." Inko began as Hidemi went over the final checklist. "We're going to have you fixed up and in recovery before you know it."

Laserman gave them a pained grin as the other nurse helped him to lie down. The sedative was kicking in quickly. Soon, Inko and Hidemi were on either side of their patient, ready to begin.

"Most of the shrapnel is concentrated in one area, near his lower ribs."

"Any observed organ damage? His stomach?"

"All clear so far. We'll do the secondary scan."

The other nurse cleared the section of Laserman's costume that was still partially covering the injured area. Shredded as it was, the fabric still obscured most of the wound. As soon as she finished, Hidemi placed her hands to one side of the damage.

It never ceased to amaze (and terrify) Inko when Hidemi used her quirk during surgery. It was like looking at a sophisticated 3D projection, like something she could've only dreamed about in school. Hidemi had told stories of her professor in Osaka utilizing her quirk for demonstrations. How the woman had calmly agreed to 'disappear' her skin so she could teach a class was a marvel.

But Inko could see the damage much clearer. The second nurse- Minami, perhaps? She was new to the team- began suctioning the excess blood from the wound. From there, the shrapnel was much easier to see. Inko counted eight pieces, which they would confirm with the x-ray in rapid development. With the use of Hidemi's quirk, they were able to start working before the x-ray came back, which was a huge time-saver.

Inko judged the angle of entry quickly. She repositioned her hands, concentrated on the largest piece of shrapnel, and pulled.

-\\\/-

There were four more shrapnel cases, although it appeared Laserman was the worst. Between his glass-like quirk and the amount of damage done by the explosives, it could've been a lot worse. By all accounts, he'd stepped in more to shield bystanders than actually fight.

It wasn't for lack of trying either. One of the nurses overheard Outburst giving her statement to the police while she was getting stitches. Apparently, Laserman had just finished a charity event and was on his way home when he stumbled into the middle of the attack.

Inko wasn't fond of coffee as a rule, but took her stimulants in tea like half of the people here. One brave- or foolish- doctor took only energy drinks. The others settled for variations of coffee. They all needed it after today's events. Four pro heroes, three sidekicks, and six civilians had been injured in what was being called 'The Mini-mart Mayhem'.

It was the work of only three villains. Inko stirred some sugar into her tea- green tea and pomegranate, interesting packet- and casually eavesdropped on the doctor who had treated Outburst.

"One of them had a kind of quirk-reflecting quirk. Apparently, he could redirect Outburst's Shockwave attack. That was where all the shrapnel came from. Instead of bursting the sword in the mutant villain's hand, it blew up a vending machine civilians were sheltering behind."

 _Uh oh_ , Inko thought. That kind of incident could really take a toll on a hero. Knowing full well they were the source of something damaging, even if they weren't responsible… Many heroes did claim responsibility, though fault could not be found. Outburst at least didn't have to live with any lives lost on her conscience. All the injured were expected to recover completely.

Inko had made sure of it.

She sipped her boiling beverage. Unable to yet taste the tea for the temperature but eager to begin consuming caffeine, Inko ignored the burning taste buds and made her way to the break room door. She'd hear all about the incident either on the news or through the grapevine eventually. There were other things she could tend to.

It was hardly a lonely night at the QHC Center. People bustled to and fro over new arrivals, visitors, specialists, teammates, police- Inko brushed past another specialist in the hallway. It was an exhausting, busy job, but she didn't think she could give it up yet. Too many people to help. The ones recovering here were a testament to the difference.

Hidemi was hanging around the front desk. She and another nurse appeared to be cataloging the mail into piles. Sometimes the doctors got thank-you notes, flowers, and all sorts of things. One time, Inko had gotten a voucher for a free meal at a Western place that opened up near her apartment. Apparently, the owner's brother was a pro she'd taken a nasty and extensive number of splinters out of.

"Oooh Doctor, Doctor, Doctor." Hidemi's grin lit up when she saw Inko. "You've got another admirer. A foreigner, maybe an old patient of yours?" She grabbed one of the parcels from the pile and held it up for Inko to examine. It had American postmarks, that little cartoon eagle she'd thought was just a stylized arrow for a year, and no return address.

"I guess I can't send them a thank-you card." She picked up the little box and turned it over. No name listed, nothing. Maybe there was a note inside? The box was big enough to house maybe a mug or something of that size, but not heavy enough to be dishware. "Don't look at me like that." She mock-pouted at Hidemi's eager look. "I'll open it after I check on my model patient."

Hidemi's grin wavered only a fraction. It was strange, sometimes; having to work on heroes they looked up to as kids. It had happened more than once, and sometimes to tragic ends. Luckily, this wasn't one of those times.

She gave room 308 a light knock before entering. Laserman hadn't received many visitors, save a civilian's grateful family and the freshly recovered Outburst. He was lounging restfully with a light dinner and plenty of liquid protein.

"Hello. I'm Doctor Kawakami, I oversaw your surgery…" She introduced herself gently, as he may not remember too much just before the anesthesia.

Laserman squinted, his attention turned away from the room's television now. His eyes widened a fraction before narrowing again. "I do know you. You're one of Shirota's brats, aren't you? Don't tell me- the one that gets things all invisible."

Inko's shocked expression must've shown because Laserman chuckled. "Don't look so surprised. You kids were on the news. Don't tell him I said so but he _hated_ your year. That little troublemaker with the gravity-something quirk only broke about every light in the building before she graduated. Did you know he had to file a report on potential hazardous gases every time?"

Laserman was laughing in earnest, trying to keep his mirth within the limits of his own stitches. Inko bit her lip in a bid to stay professional looking. Ueno _had_ been a handful, but she had no idea it was that bad.

"He told the class at graduation that he had a gray hair for each of us. Three for her and all the light bulbs." Inko chuckled. "And I'm the one that floats things. Hidemi did make your skin invisible for surgery though."

The old pro's eyes twinkled. "You're the one that Recovery Girl commended. I kept up with all of you little hooligans if only to irk Shirota with embarrassing conversation starters. Who knew you'd all end up so responsible! Jobs and all… a doctor. My doctor, of all things! Ol' gas-head would have a fit."

Inko flushed pink. Nobody had ever called Neon the Bright Light Hero 'Ol gas-head' in her earshot. Must be mentor/mentee privilege.

"Well, you are recovering nicely. Any new pain or worsening of existing pain?" She began to go through her checklist of Doctor Things with Laserman, thankfully getting a set of coherent answers from him. He seemed tired, which was reasonable. He was very _very_ old after all.

It was something to think about. Inko left him to his recovery and turned her Styrofoam teacup in her hands. How different he seemed from the man she had met all those years ago. How different she was as well. A child with a dream. And her dream had taken her here, to this place, and to this day perhaps.

She toyed with the new ring on her finger. Was she very old, with dreams still beyond her imagination? She had forgotten the package from the desk, but she would see it again. She would see it again and again for years to come.


	20. Chapter 20

"Yeah, he's called 'Sudden Impact' and he's super underground in America-"

Inko guzzled her tea and hoped she wouldn't be sick again. Why on earth were her coworkers so _loud_ first thing in the morning? Didn't they know when to be quiet? There were sleeping patients for goodness sakes. Not to mention doctors with _morning sickness-_

Nurse Hasegawa broke away from the gossiping group and followed Inko out into the hall. "Hey! You've got another one! I _know_ Hidemi said not to say anything about a secret admirer but you've got to admit, having a secret American boyfriend isn't the kind of thing that will stay quiet around here for long!"

She was so eager, Inko could almost pity her. Almost let it slide. But she was tried, a bit cranky, and still a tad grumpy about yesterday's ultrasound. _If they were going to have to use the gel every time, why not heat it? Why not help clean it up either? It's gross._ _And cold._ Flustered, Inko could only respond in stuttering indignation.

"Hasegawa, I'm- I'm married! I'm married _and_ pregnant _and- and-…_ can guarantee that this so-called 'secret admirer' is an old high school friend I haven't seen in at least five years! Possibly more. M-maybe six, or seven. We weren't super close or anything- just friends- didn't even talk all that-… _hnnn_ " She downed the dregs of her teacup in frustration. "Excuse me, I have I follow-up to perform."

At the fastest viable pace, she sped off to her next appointment. She couldn't help but hear Hasegawa mention to the nurse on duty: " _Well it's still addressed to 'Kawakami'. I don't think she's told him!"_

The truth was she _couldn't_ tell him. Not if the fool man wouldn't list a return address. This had only been going on since he left to train in America- what had she said? Seven years? Seven years and no return address. Actually, she was fairly sure he had only _written_ once. Something had changed about him that last year of school. He became very serious about… _something._

She remembered those days pretty clearly, studying for exams both at UA and other places. Inko remembered spending more and more time at the library and less time with the students trying to train their quirks. She had pretty much mastered all it could do, as the easier wrist sprains reminded her. While most of the others needed to rely on their quirks, she and Hidemi had spent a lot of time jamming info straight into their brains.

No, she hadn't seen Toshinori since graduation. Now that she thought about it, had she really seen him much before? It seemed like they were both chasing their dreams. At least he wasn't the most reclusive of her old friends. Hisashi got along great with Kyou and Kyoshi and Hachi when they all went out. She hadn't heard from Shouta since they exchanged pleasantries at graduation.

But she had most of her friends. She had her job and her new work friends, though maybe not the former for much longer. Inko thought about her ultrasound. She was about to have a new friend.

Inko rolled her eyes and gently knocked on her patient's door. "Mister Bakugou? It's Doctor K- _Midoriya_. How are you feeling?"

-\\\/-

Inko managed to get the door open with only three fingers. The rest were fully occupied with the groceries. She, of course, joked that she was eating for two but she didn't enjoy buying groceries for three. Hisashi wouldn't be home for a little while yet, so Inko would have to take care of this on her own. No problem! She was a grown woman. Responsible, organized- she'd even found a gadget that helped her open even the toughest glass jars. Completely independent.

She stacked the dry goods in the cabinet and the vegetables and things in the fridge. Inko eyed the empty space, wondering if her little angel would need magnets for all sorts of crayon art. The most she and Hisashi put up was a work schedule or a business card they needed to locate quickly. How her little life was about to change.

After the groceries were up… There was one unopened box left. She was curious.

Inko took the plain brown box in her hands, turning it over and looking at all the fun foreign postage. The box itself looked just big enough to hold a coffee mug, though she had already received one of those. It said something about Texas and 'exes', though she wasn't sure what that meant. Toshinori didn't provide a context, and she didn't really feel like asking anyone.

She got a knife and wedged the packing tape apart from the cardboard. The inside was stuffed to the brim with bubble wrap. Did he _know_ she and Hidemi worked together? Maybe he was just trying extra hard to protect the contents. She unraveled the bubble wrap and exposed the little baubles inside. Inko had to bite back a laugh.

There was a Captain Celebrity magnet, cheesy as could be, except someone had blacked out some of the teeth and otherwise defaced it with a marker. Alright, she couldn't help but giggle. Inko knew a lot of people couldn't _stand_ that guy, as much 'hero' work as he did. So, Toshinori wasn't a fan. She set the magnet aside with the promise that it would go straight on the fridge. Devoid of _art_ indeed.

The next item of the three was a very gaudy, very cheap bracelet with the golden gate bridge emblazoned on a single plastic charm. Inko stretched the elastic and tried it on.

"Perfect. Still remembers my size!" She giggled to herself. Good ol' Toshinori knew she loved nonsense like this. Still smiling, Inko pushed the bubble wrap aside and found the last trinket encased in paper. It wasn't very big, not much larger than a keychain bauble, but it was the paper that intrigued her.

She unfolded the letter- for a letter it was!- and held the plastic trinket aside for the moment. The letter began:

 _Inko,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well! I wish I could write more, but the life of a hero has its dangers. That isn't a good excuse, now that I've written it down, but it's the best I can do. As I'm sure you know, I've been training with a few pros in America, and that has taken up all my time! There's another reason that I can't write often as well, but we'll get to that in a minute. Excuse my rambling._

 _Hero work in America is wildly different from work in Japan. Everything is new, even the historical sites, it seems. Anything older than 300 is a marvel to them, and twice as important not to destroy. Did I tell you I almost destroyed a museum? If you get the chance, look up the Texas Rangers- not the baseball team though, that was part of why it almost went wrong. Had to make adjustments when I realized I wasn't about to go rushing into a stadium. But anyway! They do things very differently here. It's been fun for the most part._

 _By now, you've probably seen the Captain Celebrity magnet. I had the unfortunate luck to partner with his agency briefly. If you knew half the things he got up to, I'm sure you would deface his magnet as well! But I digress. You can take comfort in the fact that not all America heroes are of the same character. Either way, I find myself feeling homesick. I'm starting to regret being away for so long, but I've nearly grown my hair back out after a disastrous haircut. Surely, I can't show my face back home again until I'm presentable!_

 _If you're still working at the hospital when I return, I hope I get to see you under non-emergency circumstances. While that might not be for a while yet, it's something on my mind._

 _To conclude these ramblings, I hope you are well, and I hope I will be able to catch up with you soon._

 _Your friend_

 _Toshinori_

 _P.S. Enclosed is a one-of-a-kind 'underground hero Sudden Impact' collectible, something I doubt will ever be on the shelves anywhere in the world. The haircut might look less than fantastic but believe me I have regretted it every day since._

She read the letter a few times through before examining the custom bauble. It looked as if it had been carefully made, possibly by a friend. A charitable gesture for an underground hero. One with a _horrible_ haircut. Oh goodness gracious, where were the bangs? Was _that_ how people wore their hair in America. She thought about how, if he was there, she'd put the toy back in the box and complain it was too ugly to see the light of day.

But it was going to sit on her desk in all its hideousness. One of a kind. Just like her old friend.


	21. Chapter 21

Izuku was at school, no need to worry about him. She'd arranged with Mitsuki to pick him up since this was an emergency. Hopefully this wouldn't run too long.

That was what she had thought in the waiting room, flanked by building security. She could tell by the setup that all sorts of strings had been pulled to isolate this section of the hospital. Of course, no patients were being deprived of care, but this seemed to be a little much. And no one would tell her anything. What use would they have a for a housewife?

The very nice police officer (police detective, she'd find out) introduced himself and started walking her back.

"Hello, Doctor Midoriya, I'm Detective Tsukauchi. I'm sure you know why we've called you here today."

She shook her head. Though, the 'doctor' bit gave her an idea. "No, sir, I'm not sure. I haven't practiced in years, so Mrs. Midoriya is fine."

A flicker of concern flashed over his face, but it was quickly subdued by the man's professionalism. "Alright, Mrs. Midoriya. We need your help either way. This is a high security area, as you can see."

He led her to the operating theater, to Mister Nedzu, and then she found her patient. When a nurse handed her a chart that read: 'Pro Hero, Sudden Impact' she felt her stomach drop. No name was listed, but she knew. _She knew._

The wound was grisly. There were pieces of fabric, shrapnel, things Inko couldn't identify that she would have to remove. If only Hidemi was here, she'd be able to see-

Inko took a steadying breath. She had her armor: her mask, gloves, and scrubs. She had her team of professionals and another surgeon for the repairs. She couldn't think about how frail her friend looked now, how different he looked with an oxygen mask and a cap on his hair. This was Sudden Impact, pro hero, and she had a job to do.

The actual removal process took much _much_ longer than she anticipated. While speed was necessary, there was a lot to do. Inko paired up with a nurse who had a 'metal detector' quirk and got to work on the bits of things she couldn't identify readily.

"Steel." The nurse said, moving his hands down the wound. "Here. Mostly steel, but some iron and copper. Although, that's not going to make a difference."

Inko nodded and used her quirk to slide the pieces out as they had come in. Minimal damage was vital at this stage. There was already so much… such a grievous wound; she had to do what she could. No harm, no hurt, only healing.

"We're going to need to operate on the stomach in five minutes. If you can't get all the-"

" _No._ " Inko said firmly, but without taking her eyes off her patient. A piece of fabric worked itself free and into her hand. "He's all your in four minutes, forty-five seconds." She wasn't leaving until she was done. Or in four and a half minutes. But she knew which would come first; she'd stake her reputation on it.

Furiously, she and her nurse worked every last bit of shrapnel out. Foreign particles led to infection, complications, and all sorts of hassle she was not going to risk. She owed him no less than her very best. The other surgeon, bless her, remained calm even while her nurses started to get antsy. Time was of the essence.

"Clear!" Inko's nurse declared, and they backed away from the table as if they'd been repelled. "Go! Go!"

After that, it was a confused swap and a dash to get cleaned up. She and her nurse exchanged laughter and relieved commentary now that their part was done. They both knew that the patient's chances had improved. Of course, they weren't done. As soon as they finished changing, a security guard came to collect them. The pair followed with an exchanged glance.

"I'm sorry I d-didn't introduce myself earlier." The nurse whispered. "I guess I was a little star struck. I'm Tonomi Nakono, and I'd like to be a quirk doctor like you."

Inko couldn't speak for a moment. Her face probably flushed so red it would make her lipstick look pale in comparison. All she could do for the moment was give him a quick bow and stutter some sort of thanks.

The guard brought them to a conference room filled with a few familiar faces. Inko knew the Detective and Nedzu, but not the tall young man sitting to the side. They all looked up when the door open, and Inko felt very small. At least she and Nurse Nakono had each other if they were in any kind of trouble.

It was the young man that made her the most nervous. He had a piercing stare behind his glasses, the kind that felt like it could see into your soul. But just the fact that they were being gathered like this, in secrecy of all things, was disconcerting.

Nedzu gestured to the empty chairs on one side of the table. "Have a seat. I'm sure you're a little worn out after surgery." He had prepared a water boiler and teacups at the center of the table. "Allow me to pour you some refreshments, though I'm afraid all we have is green tea."

"Th-that's fine." Inko found her voice at last. Nakono nodded in agreement. It seemed they were both at a loss for words. Nedzu realized this with tact and quietly poured the tea. So accustomed of the last few hours with using her quirk, Inko nearly tipped the full cup when she reached for it. That would've been an embarrassing start to the meeting.

Nedzu folded his hands- paws?- and relaxed back in his chair. "I'm sure you both have quite a few questions as to the nature of this operation, events surrounding, and the mystery of your patient. I hate to leave you curious, but this is a very secretive operation for the sake of national security."

Inko felt her cheeks flushing again. _National security?_ It seemed like 'Sudden Impact' was a bigger secret than she realized. What kind of trouble was Toshinori in?

"What I can tell you is that your patient, a pro hero who goes by Sudden Impact, was injured in the line of duty. He was stopping a top secret domestic threat that we won't be disclosing details about to the public. Needless to say, this is all confidential information and what is said in this room stays here. Is that understood?"

The question seemed less pointed at Inko and more towards young Nakano, who nodded earnestly.

"Though I'm not a licensed doctor yet, I unders-stand the importance of doctor-patient confidentiality and that relationship with the law. Provided that I am never legally obligated to disclose this information as p-part of an investigation, I have no issue with complying."

Nedzu seemed satisfied. "Then you are free to go, Nurse Nakano. Mrs. Midoriya, I do have one or two other questions I wish to ask in confidence, if you don't mind?"

That was Nanako's cue to go. Inko politely wished him goodbye and waited until the room fell silent again to focus all her nervous attention on Nedzu. The man/dog/bear/mouse had an air of command about him, even in this room. Whoever the young man was, he deferred to Nedzu as well.

"Mrs. Midoriya, I don't wish to take too much of your time. Your son, I believe, is in school?" He ventured.

"N-no, it's quite alright. I understand this is very important, and I've arranged a ride h-home for him with another parent." She felt like her palms were sweating. Just being here with these people made her nervous. It felt like an interrogation, even if the Detective's silent smile was friendly.

Nedzu gave her a smile of his own. "Very good. This will be fairly quick either way. You should have plenty of time to get back to your son after our meeting." He reached under the table and drew up a briefcase. The locks made a sharp _click_ in the little room as he opened it up and fished through the contents.

"How do you know Mister Yagi, Mrs. Midoriya?"

 _So they all knew._ She took a steadying breath. "We were- were friends at UA. He was in the same year as me, but in the Hero course. After that, we s-stayed somewhat in touch but never met again in person."

Nedzu hummed noncommittally and found the paper he was looking for. "You seemed to recognize the name 'Sudden Impact'. He kept in contact with you while he was abroad, correct?"

She nodded again, wondering what his underground career had anything to do with the present. Could it be that he was some sort of government agent, kept secret from the public due to the dangerous nature of his work? She hardly thought of straightforward Toshinori as the spy type, but…

"The official version of events is that Mr. Yagi is a licensed government protector of some importance. This information is of the utmost secrecy, but I'm offering you an explanation to honor Mr. Yagi's wishes. He asked to make sure you understood why you were called in with no notice and under these circumstances."

That was a lot to take in, but it made sense. No wonder his letters were few, and his packages sent anonymously. He was doing some kind of top-secret hero work. _Underground indeed!_

Nedzu took a sip of his tea and Inko suddenly was reminded of her own cup. This was one awkward meeting. Detective Tsukauchi cleared his throat politely before addressing Inko.

"Mrs. Midoriya, because of the top-secret nature of Mr. Yagi's activities, we can't answer many questions, but if you do have any we can try to do our best to give you some peace of mind at least."

That gave her pause. Inko took another sip of the hot tea and pondered the last few hours. Tired as a mother and tired as a surgeon were two different feelings, but feelings both soothed by caffeine. Compared to something very present and newsworthy like one of All Might's fights, this would likely never make the paper. No matter how important his work was he might never get the recognition. She tapped her finger lightly on the edge of the cup and formulated one vital question.

"I know you c-can't tell me what it is that he does, where, or using what methods. All I want to know is… Is he happy? Proud of his work? I know all he wanted to do was be a hero, to make people smile and help everyone in need. This top-secret work… It's what he wants after all?"

All three men across from her had very different, equally unreadable expressions. Nedzu's initial reaction morphed into something more like amusement. Detective Tsukauchi's eyes became more distracted by the boiler, like he didn't want to look her in the eye. And the third man, the young man in a suit… He looked _guilty._

To her surprise, it was the young man who answered. "Mrs. Midoriya, though I cannot provide you with any concrete information, as someone who knows All-… of his accomplishments and feats better than most in our coworkers…" He paused for a breath, a look of gravity passing across his features.

"He is doing something he loves, with an immense value to our country and people that he may not be able to see the entire scope of. I can say confidently that he has no equal in his work, and is one of the finest men I've ever had the pleasure to work with."

Something about his tone… He sounded _defeated._ This young man carried an incredible weight. Could it be that he felt somewhat responsible for what had happened? Maybe he was a coordinator or some type of organizer and felt as if he could have prevented this. But most of all, it sounded like he thought Yagi already lost.

"That, I believe, is all we can tell you at this juncture Mrs. Midoriya. Though I personally can't promise anything," Nedzu had a twinkle in his eye as he spoke, "-I don't believe it out of turn to say you can look forward to a letter or two. No return address, of course."

The meeting was dispersed, and Inko gave the same a similar promise to that of Nurse Nakono. As she gathered her things and began to head towards the security escort, a voice halted her progress.

"Mrs. Midoriya, if you have the time…"

She turned, and there was the nicely dressed young man. He seemed dejected still, but there was also a slight air of nervousness about him. What was his concern? Could he be 'Sudden Impact's handler, anxious for his client? A friend? A family member? He didn't look much like Toshinori, but Inko couldn't say without a doubt.

The young man stopped just in front of her. He seemed to be composing himself. "Mrs. Midoriya," he began again, "I realize you have your son to attend to, but I would like your opinion as a professional."

It seemed odd. There was this tall, nervous man before her with some degree of influence in Toshinori's life asking for her opinion. She assumed it was her prognosis.

The young man straightened up, regaining some composure. "In your opinion as a doctor, given his current state and the expected rate of recovery… Will… Forgive me, but do you believe he can come back from this?"

What a loaded question. Inko had been a doctor for several years. She'd seen patients pull through and… not. This young man though, she knew his type. He was smart. He was used to hearing fluff and dismissing it. He would not take any positive outlook at face value.

She paused. "It would be rash to say anything for certain, sir." Inko began hesitantly, but was emboldened by his continued attention. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to know Toshinori as well as I do."

He nodded somberly. Well, it was a good sign. "Then you know how persistent he is. Those surgeons in there are the best in the country. While you may not have faith in them, I ask that you have faith in our friend. I believe he can pull through this and beat any odds against him. After all…" she felt her resolve failing, personal feelings becoming blended with a professional opinion. "… that's always been his dream."

The young man didn't speak. He was looking at the floor, clearly deep in thought. On some level, she knew how difficult this would be. There was no guarantee of anything, and Inko herself was nervous. But she'd learned from years of experience that you can only worry about things that are out of anyone's hands. Her son, she worried about him. He would follow his dreams with or without guidance. Nothing anyone said would dissuade him. But a surgical procedure was all in the hands of professionals. In this case, the best in the nation.

"Allow me to treat you to lunch then." He said. Inko's eyes widened in surprise. "Please accept. It is the very least I could do to thank you for all of your help. I know the other surgeons will be a while yet and…"

And it was hard to sit and wait. No doubt he would get a call as soon as Toshinori came out of surgery. He had a cell phone, surely, with his line of work in this day and age.

"Thank you." Inko bowed his way. "I accept, though I would do anything for my dear friend without compensation."

The young man smiled for the first time since she'd seen him.


	22. Chapter 22

Inko held her steaming cup of tea between two hands. She was exhausted, probably would have to take a long nap when she got home. Maybe she'd go to bed early.

The winter melon brew was refreshing. Apparently, it was the café's tea of the day. Inko added a liberal amount of sugar to her beverage while she sat and waited at the table. Her … companion? The young gentleman from the hospital had insisted on ordering while she got a chance to rest. It was nice to be off her feet for a few minutes.

He hadn't provided his name. Inko assumed it was for security reasons. After all, if 'Sudden Impact' was as top secret as they made him seem, then anyone connected with him might have even more secrets. And they had done a good job of keeping them, if her research was anything to go by. She'd gone back a few years ago and looked up Sudden Impact in the American underground scene. It seemed like he had gone off the radar right after writing her his final letter. Maybe that was when his secret work had begun?

The young man came back with his drink. He seemed on edge still. Inko curled around her cup and took another long sip. After all, if she was here she might as well enjoy the little break.

"Mrs. Midoriya." The young man set his drink down. He was very rigid, like a wooden figure perhaps. Interesting hair, but otherwise unremarkable except for his height and intense gaze. "How is your drink?"

Yes, very intimidating. She was right in the middle of a sip when he asked, and Inko knew she only had a moment. He was towering over her- very nice to buy lunch but frankly _scary-_ and demanding an answer and _and-_ She swallowed her tea, thinking 'Good tea, delightful, thank you'. _'Good tea, delightful'…_

"Tea-lightful."

 _Wait._

As calmly as she could possibly manage after that- _better to ignore it and hope he didn't catch it-_ she lifted the cup back to her face in an effort to cover some of the vivid red creeping over her face.

The young man snorted.

Inko's eyes went wide as she watched him dissolve into a quiet but earnest giggle fit. The young man was about bent double, his shoulders shaking. She finished her sip, swallowed, and remained stupefied by his reaction. Was he serious? Did he think she was just the _biggest_ idiot-

"Oh, Mrs. Midoriya, thank you." He said, wiping a tear from his eye. _It wasn't that funny, was it?_ At the very least he was getting a kick out of it. "There has been nothing for me to smile about today. I'm glad you can appreciate a bit of mirth even in these dark times."

A little dramatic, perhaps, but she was so relieved he thought she'd done it on purpose that she just kept her mouth shut. If anything, he needed something to cheer him up. Poor man had to have the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"I appreciate a good sense of humor." He said. "It's important for a hero to be able to smile and laugh in the face of danger. I suppose it stands to reason I would be a fan of All Might-…"

He trailed off. Inko supposed it must be embarrassing for a grown man to admit being a fanboy. She smiled brightly and tried to encourage him.

"My son would agree with you! He's a big fan of All Might as well, always has been. You know the video of his debut?" Somewhat more composed, the young man nodded. "I think he's added ten thousand views to it on his own! He's always wanted to be just like his hero, always smiling despite how… hard things get…"

She paused as well. Oh, how she wished there could have been a different life for her son. If she'd been born with a stronger quirk like her mother's… A million 'what-ifs' lurked in her mind. At least Izuku had All Might to always be able to smile in the fact of life's many troubles.

"I suppose," the young man before her began again, "we all have something we can learn from the great symbol of peace. Even though, with this situation in particular…"

"…It's hard to apply the same level of confidence," Inko finished, "from hero work to a medical crisis. I've seen it several times, people trying to equate the two. More often than you'd think, that kind of confidence begins to waver. Heroes aren't the kind of people to rescue you from every trouble."

For a long moment, the young man's gaze was locked on Inko. It wasn't as piercing, sadder. Contemplative. "Of course, it's harder to try and rely on people who aren't heroes. It seems as if we, as a society, find it easier to believe in someone wearing bright colors and a cape."

Inko nodded. "It does seem that way." She hesitated, twirling the cup in her hands. "But that's why I've always tried to put a bright spin on things. Toshinori always did too. Even when you aren't a hero, you can be somebody's hero. If you have confidence in yourself, other people have confidence in you."

She stared down at her tea. "In some ways, my son is teaching me that as well. Sometimes it seems as if the whole world is against him, but he keeps going. He still writes about heroes and draws pictures and pays rapt attention to the reports on TV. Even when everyone has told him to let go of his dream he-"

She sniffed and apologized. "I'm sorry. It's been a long day."

"I know." He replied, offering her the decorative pocket square from his suit. It had a picture of All Might embroidered into the corner. Inko couldn't help but laugh.

-\\\/-

 _Inko Midoriya._

With his connections, it wasn't hard. He could do this. One thing, one thing to thank her and it wouldn't be- No one would be the wiser. There would be no worries about secrets, about complications.

He saw the brown box, the hospital address, _her maiden name-_ Toshinori Yagi was very thoughtful, but not necessarily well informed. This was something he could do as a favor to both of them. Odds were not often defied, and he had no doubt about how this unfortunate incident would end, but there _was_ hope.

He took the box to his desk and ripped off the address label. Taking a clean one from his supply, he carefully penned her name and address in his neatest hand. They had obtained her information privately. He was sure this wasn't an abuse of power she couldn't forgive.

Of course, she wouldn't know the hand. The box wasn't sealed. Perhaps… A quick note.

 _Mrs. Midoriya,_

 _Thank you for everything you have done. I enjoyed our lunch together, and though you insist this was a kindness for a friend, I would like to repay you one last way. I can ensure this package will reach you at your present address._

 _Again, my best wishes for you and your son. If we ever happen to meet again, I hope it will be under more favorable circumstances._

 _Best regards-_

He paused. There was no way he could sign his name. All the same, he assumed she would know who it was from. Still…

 _-Best regards and thank you for a Tealightful lunch,_

 _The "Office" of Sudden Impact_

There. He folded the short note and slipped it in amongst whatever other things Toshinori had packed into the box.

Perfect.


	23. Chapter 23

If she had worried over Izuku before, she had every reason to now. _Her_ school? Even if he was a late bloomer- even if he hadn't been strong enough to access his quirk until he started working out, which was part of her working theory: 'exponential vitality'- the Hero course at UA was nothing to scoff at. They would work him very hard, and maybe he would be hurt again like before. _Both his legs and his arm_ …

She looked at her own hands as she stood before her bathroom mirror. Under extreme duress, a quirk could go beyond and become more powerful that even the user thought it could. Izuku had told her about that girl, the one he'd saved. Her thoughtful little man. His heart was in the right place. Of that she had no doubt.

Looking back in the mirror she saw herself, but she also saw something else. As tired as she felt, as sad sometimes, as worried- Izuku was getting to follow his dream. As a mother she was proud. As a mother, she was terrified. At UA they would make sure he got stronger and gained a better understanding of his quirk. But, would they be able to keep him safe? Even from himself? The fact that Recovery Girl was still there was a little reassuring, but not much. She helped the body recover on its own, but what if…

Inko looked at her hands. Perfect, spotless hands. _What if Izuku got hurt badly enough that Recovery Girl couldn't repair it?_ She'd been worried about scarring when she was in trouble, but he had broken his bones. _With his quirk_. It was so, so dangerous.

But he was overjoyed. She thought it was sweet he'd applied to her old school, but to make it in… She was so very proud. Izuku had built himself from the ground up, training every day and typing up some kind of fitness regime himself. It looked to be inspired by All Might. After that day where he'd met his hero, been saved from that sludge villain, maybe All Might had sparked something in her boy that she thought she'd never see again. Ever since that day when he was little, she thought she had crushed his dream. Not the doctor. Not fate. She had crushed it.

The dream was alive. She fixed her cardigan and brushed off her dress with her hands. Tonight was important for Izuku. She wanted to make a good impression. Inko was so, _so_ proud of him. Nothing would happen tonight that would reflect badly on her son. Not if she could help it.

She took a deep breath, checked the mirror one more time, and went to make sure Izuku was ready. Tonight, she would make sure her first impression on his teachers was a good one.

-\\\/-

"Don't you keep worrying your mother, young man! She was one of my best students, so she knows just how reckless your shenanigans are!" Recovery Girl stopped short of giving Izuku a harsher reprimand. Inko inwardly sighed with relief. Her old mentor was a force to be reckoned with, but no doubt Izuku had learned his lesson. Broken bones were nothing to ignore.

"Yes ma'am!" He stammered quickly. While it brought a smile to her face, Izuku wasn't here to hear about her school days. She was here to support him.

Inko cut in gently. "I'm sure he didn't mean to! His quirk seems to be of the kind that develops with his body, or- or his relative strength! He probably didn't know he could use so much energy!"

Recovery Girl gave Izuku a somewhat withering look. Maybe they had already had this conversation. Either way, Inko wasn't too worried about this. She knew Recovery Girl had a tough love approach sometimes. Maybe she was trying to push his buttons in order to get him to learn something. It wouldn't be the first time that trick had been employed.

"Hey hey! If it isn't our little one-hit wonder! You know, he's a chart topper academically too, if his English papers are anything to go b-"

Inko and Present Mic locked eyes at the same time. While fairly normal for her, it seemed that being struck speechless was an unusual experience for her old schoolmate.

"WhaaaAAT!" Hizashi Yamada was a human caricature even to this day. It seemed like he spent as much energy on his gestures as he did his words. "Midoriya, you didn't tell me our own Doctor Powerhouse was your mom!" Turning to Inko he continued. "It's been a while since I've heard your latest hits!"

She was certain she was blushing as hard as her son. Present Mic! _Don't tell me Kyou's teaching here too!_ Inko cleared her throat. "I'm… glad to hear Izuku is doing well in your class. How are your tonsils healing up?"

Present Mic went a little pale, but tried to keep that trademark grin up. "Fine! They've been fine, Doctor Mom! Midoriya, I'll catch you later heavy hitter!" He took off into the sea of students and parents, his hair bobbing over most of the assembled heads.

"M-mom, you didn't do Present Mic's tonsillectomy, did you?" Izuku wheezed, blushing all the way to his ears. It seemed they both needed a minute to regain their composure.

Inko shook her head. "No, Izuku, but my friend did. He w-was in our year, so the gossip was all over…"

Izuku let out a nervous giggle. "Do you know anything about the rest of the staff?"

"Maybe…" She looked around, and didn't see anyone she recognized right off the bat. "Introduce me to your other teachers. I'd love to hear all about how well you're doing, my smart boy!"

With that, everything was alright again. Izuku gave her a playful eye roll and a " _Mom_ …" to let her know it was all back to normal. Even if All Might hadn't been able to attend, the room was still packed with Pro Heroes. An energetic but very nerve-wracking atmosphere.

Izuku introduced her to Cementoss next, and his quiet demeanor made him easier to talk to in Inko's opinion. Not completely outrageous _or_ likely to embarrass her son. More than anything, she wanted him to feel good and to feel welcomed at UA. The fact that he got to learn under All Might's instruction was good enough for him, it seemed, but Inko wanted everything to be perfect.

"Mrs… Midoriya?"

A voice from behind them startled both Izuku and Inko into jumping. So many Pros, all teachers… It was a little tense. They both turned and Izuku's face lit up with a grin.

"Oh gosh! Mom, this is my homeroom teacher! You remember me talking about the underground hero Eraserhead? This is him! Mister Aizawa, this is my mom."

Eraserhead. He sounded familiar. Inko looked up at the somewhat looming- _considering he was a head taller than Izuku, two heads taller than herself-_ figure of her son's homeroom teacher. He looked a little familiar too, now that she thought about it. Maybe she had seen him on the news?

"It's nice to meet you, sir. I'm grateful that my son has the opportunity to learn under such an accomplished hero such as yourself. Izuku has told me all about you!"

Her smile wavered at the expression on his face. While he wore a somewhat neutral glare at the outset, his frown had only lengthened. It… For some reason, Inko imagined he was _upset_ by the introduction.

"Is everything alright?"

Eraserhead looked from Izuku to Inko and back again.

"You don't remember me?"

Inko froze. She was familiar with Eraserhead because of Izuku. She'd seen video clips of his exploits, knew the trademark goggles and capture weapon and tousled hair-

At her frown, Eraserhead's eyebrows rose. There were gears turning, and a flicker of something flashed briefly across his eyes. He reached up and pulled his hair out of his face with one hand, making a high ponytail-

" _Shouta!?"_

Her outburst was loud enough to cause a lull in the overall noise. Inko's hands flew to cover her mouth in embarrassment. Izuku's gaze bounced between them as if he was watching a particularly confusing tennis match.

Inko could've dissolved into the floor. "Shouta? Is th-that _really_ you? You- you got so much _taller!_ "

Izuku's face started turning a little pink. "M-mom? You went to school with Mister Aizawa too?"

Shouta Aizawa, pro hero Eraserhead, and Inko's old friend let his hair go. "We were in the same homeroom for a while. She helped me with geometry."

Inko was positively scarlet as Izuku muttered _"My mom helped Eraserhead with geometry."_ How had she failed to recognize _Shouta_ of all people? Had it been so long, or had he really changed so much? Of course, he was taller, had facial hair, and a whole hero outfit. _And he was the pro-hero Eraserhead for crying out loud!_

Finally, she found her voice. "I c-can't believe it! How have you been? It's been s-such a long time-" Inko fought the urge to bury her face in her hands. Here she had been trying to avoid embarrassing her son, and now she'd forgotten his _homeroom teacher._

"I didn't realize Izuku was yours." He said at last. " _Should've guessed..."_ He added quietly, and Inko wasn't quite sure how to take that.

"Well!" She tried to speak up in defense of her son. No way was she going to let _Shouta_ talk smack. She'd taught him math! "I hope you keep him out of trouble! You-you always had a penchant for it. Like getting your s-scarf caught on the villain alarm!"

She didn't notice the few heads that had started to turn. Izuku's face was frozen between horror and awe.

Shouta snorted. "At least I didn't rip off Principal Shimizu's tie during an assembly."

"I d-didn't know it was a clip on!"

After a long stare down, Inko was the first to crack. Her lip twitched and she couldn't suppress a giggle. Leave it to Shouta to make things awkward. He was the same old blunt kid that always made things interesting. _And hilarious._

"It's good to see you again." She said at last. "I'm glad out of everybody that you're Izuku's homeroom teacher." A sly look crossed her face. " _And not his math teacher."_

"I've already dubbed him the problem child, and I'm sure you're not surprised. His tenacity is something to be commended, though his technique is…" He mulled over his word choice a moment. "His technique could use refinement. I've never seen quirk overuse quite like this, although it's familiar."

She thought about her hands. Like a movie reel, she could see the emotions play across his face all those years ago. Odd of him to bring it up _now_. Unless he thought Izuku needed some kind of maternal warning that was more impacting than _'don't break all your bones again'_.

He turned to Izuku. "Don't make me schedule a parent-teacher conference. Your mom took down Gravimetric with her bare hands."

Before her son could so much as squeak, Inko addressed him. "Izuku, sweetie, could you go grab a snack? I think we need to have a parent-teacher conference right now."

The temperature seemed to drop, odd for a room this large. Anyone who had been overtly listening had vanished into thin air. At least Shouta had the decency to look somewhat nervous. She began walking towards the table with informational flyers, completely abandoned except for the Pro Hero Ectoplasm, who saw her coming and vacated.

Inko looked up to glare in Shouta's eyes with all the intimidation she could muster. "What was that about?" She asked firmly. It looked like her Mom voice worked on people other than her son.

Shouta's eyes flicked towards the snack table. He didn't seem to want to meet her glare. "He can't control his quirk. You know how much damage an overused quirk can do, and I know he would listen to somebody he looks up to. All Might, of course, keeps telling him to get stronger, not exercise caution. Being his mother and somewhat of a local legend, I thought-"

"You thought you'd use that to sway Izuku's opinion." She rubbed her temples gently. No stress headaches today, no. She was going to give Shouta a piece of her mind, old friend or not. "There was a reason I never told him about that. Izuku's always been impressionable, especially when it comes to heroes. When… when I thought he was quirkless, not only did I worry for his happiness, but I worried for his safety. If he tried to become a hero without a quirk… You know how dangerous that would be. It's hard enough for pros. But… Call me cruel, but my son being quirkless and alive was more important to me than his dream."

She paused. "I was worried of what he would think. Izuku is a child, no matter how much he's grown up even in the past year. While heroes use their wits to supplement a traditionally weak quirk, it would be just too dangerous for Izuku to have such an influential example of that technique _working._ "

Shouta's face remained stony. It seemed like he was mulling this all over. When he finally spoke, he sounded much less pushy. "I honestly thought he knew." He seemed almost sad now, like that had the opposite effect from what he had wanted. "Since nobody besides Yagi used their quirks to injure anyone- _officially-_ the minor details had been made public. Given his obsession with heroes, his knowledge of your schooling, and the fact that the timeline was well established, I thought he would've put it together. Izuku's very bright, but not always careful."

He finally met her eyes. "I wanted him to be more careful."

Inko exhaled and let out a little bit of the latent anger she'd been holding. Shouta meant well, Shouta _always_ meant well. Even if this was going to make for an interesting conversation on the way home. She had to think of a way to make it a cautionary tale instead of something Izuku would glamorize.

"So do I. But, the way he's talked about your class, I believe he respects you enough to listen to you. Be straightforward with Izuku, and he'll learn much more quickly."

He took that grain of knowledge with tact. "I will." Shouta bowed fairly deeply. "I apologize for overstepping my bounds as a teacher."

Inko put her hand on his shoulder. "It's alright." In a lower tone, she added, " _I'm going to get you back for this Shouta, but at least you meant well."_

He cracked one of his rare smiles. That was a victory in Inko's book.

-\\\/-

She was talking to Mitsuki and some of the other parents- namely, a very nice frog shaped couple- when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't the baggy suit that had drawn her attention, or the lankiness of the figure trying to slip discreetly from one of the gym entrances to the exit that led into the main hallway. Nothing bout him would ordinarily draw _any_ attention. He was the kind of person you would easily glance at and forget, except maybe to think 'what a strange looking man'.

Inko's eyes caught on the hair.

"Excuse me, sorry, I'll be right back." Inko timidly dismissed herself from the group, hurrying as inconspicuously as she was able. Izuku was talking to his friends about something, gesturing excitedly. She pushed the door open quietly and slipped through. Nobody seemed to notice.

He hadn't disappeared around the corner yet. Not wanting to risk drawing attention still, Inko trotted down the hallway after him. She turned the corner behind him before calling out.

"Toshinori?"

It was odd seeing someone so gangly go rigid. He spun around in a panic, apparently shocked that someone had recognized him. And she almost hadn't. He was so sickly looking. It… It had to have been the incident five years ago. Perhaps there were complications, perhaps-

"Inko?"

He looked so _happy_ to see her that she couldn't be sad for him. For a moment, she forgot to worry. There was her old friend beaming at her like this was the best thing to happen to him all day.

"Inko Kawakami! Or, should I say Doctor Kawakami! I'm sorry it's been so long- I haven't had much time to write and… What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here!" They closed the lengthy gap in the hallway. "I thought you were… I… Is it something secret for Principal Nedzu?" She lowered her voice, conscious that this was a high security building but not a soundproof area.

Confusion crossed his face, but he smiled. "Oh no! Nothing like that. I… work here. I'm on staff. It _was_ sort of a favor from Nedzu, but I really enjoy the work."

"Are you a teacher? Izuku hasn't mentioned Mister Yagi yet. Do you teach the older students?"

"Izuku! You mean you're-" He broke off into a fit of coughing and Inko's eyebrows about hit the roof when she saw blood. Immediately, she fished into her purse for some tissues and starting dabbing at his face. Suddenly, she froze. Mothering instincts had overpowered her sense of propriety. Toshinori was a grown man, and coughing up blood or not, he could handle-

"My apologies, thank you." Gently, he took the tissue and cleaned up the last of the blood. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you. That happens rather often… But, I'm surprised. Izuku is your son?"

Inko nodded, eyes still wide. "I know it's been a while. I thought your, um… I thought you might have known. But, that was a difficult time for you and I doubt you remember everything that happened and _of course it's a traumatic experience- how rude of me to bring something like that up after not seeing each other for such a long time…_ "

Toshinori laughed. All trace of his sickly shock had fled. "Never mind! Of course he's your son. Everything makes sense now." He shook his head. "He's a wonderful student."

"Oh! That does me good to hear, as a mother." A beat. "So you _are_ one of his teachers?"

He paused, as if his brain had stopped processing information for a moment. "Oh no!" He continued quickly. "No, but I have seen his grades and the other teachers all have glowing reports, of course. No I'm mainly in the offices. But! He has shown remarkable growth, even from the first day of school."

Inko nodded. "I'm so proud of him. But worried. You know… you know how dangerous hero work is."

Toshinori's expression softened. He did understand the trouble.

Suddenly, there were loud footsteps coming down the hall. Inko jumped, turned, and saw her son coming around the corner.

"Mom! Mister Aizawa said he saw you come this way and _All M-_ " Izuku stopped short and slapped his hands over his mouth. Inko frowned and stared at her son. Where were his _manners?_

Izuku swallowed hard and continued, visibly nervous. "All _m-my friends_ were talking about h-how it was cool that you went here too. Yeah…"

What had gotten into that boy? Inko supposed he was just nervous, or maybe surprised and reacting very rudely to Toshinori's appearance. Was there blood anywhere still on his face? She turned back around and Toshinori had plastered an unnatural smile on his face. Well, this wouldn't do at all.

"Izuku! I'm sure you've seen him around school, but this is my old friend Toshinori Yagi! We went to school here together as well, but we weren't classmates." She gave him the ' _nice to guests'_ patented Mom Glare, and Izuku complied.

"V-very nice to b-be formally introduced Mister Yagi." He held his shaking hand out and Toshinori shook it.

"Th-the pleasure is all mine y-young Midoriya! I was s-surprised to learn that this is your mother!"

Satisfied, Inko dug in her purse for her phone. She would have to get Toshinori's number after all these years. What luck, meeting her old friend again after all these years!

She completely missed the look of panic that passed between the two of them.


	24. Chapter 24

Inko Midoriya wondered, vaguely, what it was like to be a teacher. She knew what it was like to be a student, a nurse, a doctor, and a parent, but not a teacher. She'd learned under the tutelage of others. She'd been educated by folks some would claim to be 'the best' in their professions. And there were a handful of other things too. She'd read instructional books. Sometimes there were programs on TV about maximizing your potential as an educator of some sort. Those kind of blurred with whatever marketing frenzy flickered across the glass as she in turn stared glassy-eyed at the TV while nursing Izuku at three in the morning.

All that to say, Inko didn't know how teachers pulled it off.

If she thought she'd been a handful in school, she ought to think again! Just one look at some of Izuku's classmates and she wondered how Shouta would ever wrangle them all. Maybe something good came of Hizashi's wild cowboy stories in the end. Maybe Shouta should've gone abroad with Toshinori to study the lasso, even if the two couldn't seem to stand each other. Could they? Maybe after working together at UA, they'd resolved whatever it was.

Inko didn't plan on asking. She simply waited in the café on a Saturday. They had her favorite tea _and_ outdoor seating. There was something about being outside that she absolutely adored. Maybe the air wasn't nature-fresh, and maybe the atmosphere wasn't a scenic ocean view from a cliffside. It was outside. It was nice.

Four chair legs squealed on the concrete as the seat across from her was pulled out. Inko started and looked up. There was Shouta, tactless as ever. Not so much as a 'Hello' before he took his seat. But now that she was blinking at him, somewhat shocked, whatever decorum he possessed decided to surface.

"Mrs. Midoriya."

...Surface, and then make the plunge again. What had she expected? At least it seemed like he'd brushed his hair. He leaned the ugly, padded elbows of his cardigan onto the table and cupped his hands around a plastic water bottle. So it was BYOB for Shouta. Low-effort. In fact, with his hair ponytailed and outfit absurd, she was sure no one would ever recognize him as Pro-Hero Eraserhead. Maybe that had been his plan.

" _Shouta-_ " Inko mock-whined, "I told you this was _revenge_ and not a parent-teacher conference."

He blinked before sulking backwards into his chair. Expression neutral, he shook his water bottle up in what could be interpreted as impatience. "So what revenge are you having in this tea shop on my day off?"

Inko twirled her mug in circles on the tabletop. Was Shouta really that irritated? It had been twenty years… Maybe he'd changed-

"I m-mainly wanted to catch up. S-see how you've been."

"Oh." He set his water bottle down on the table. "Guess I should order a drink if we're staying."

She could just about slam her head into the cafe table. _Typical Shouta!_ But he was staying. Inko supposed, in his roundabout way, he was excited to catch up too. This thought warmed her as much as her tea while she waited for her old friend. He probably had a lot of stories about being an Underground hero and all. Maybe some Izuku didn't know- and didn't need to know until he was older, as odds were.

Lost in thought, Inko was getting ahead of herself. She sat up exuberantly as Shouta returned with his tea and a liberally iced cookie. So he had a sweet tooth after all! Maybe she wouldn't be _too_ embarrassing if she made Izuku's class cookies…

"I guess since graduation I've been doing… this." Shouta started, pausing to take a sip of his tea and making a face when it was too hot. "Got my start underground and found it was for me. I've only been teaching a few years. You could say I was tricked into it." He took a bite of his cookie with a more pleasant hint of an expression crossing his face.

"Tricked into it?" Inko prompted hopefully.

"Oh no." Shouta shook his head. "You're not getting that out of me on day one."

 _So he's willing to meet up and chat again!_ If it wasn't for all the roundabout, uncommunicative men in her life, Inko supposed she might jump on the bandwagon and take up brainteasers. But compared to this they might be easy.

"It was worth a try!" Inko smiled into her tea. Did she have any interesting stories to tell? What could she say besides so, so many things about her son? And to his teacher no less… She could talk anyone's ear off about Izuku. But this didn't seem like the time. She… Inko wondered if she did have anything to talk about. After all, she was a single mother, lonely, without very many friends outside her son's friends' parents. What did she have to say?

"I had lunch with Yumi from your class the other day."

"The same Yumi who took out Hizashi's tonsils?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Let's hear it."

Inko managed a little smug grin. Shouta was slouched all over the place, but his elbows were firmly entrenched on the table. Prime listening position for hot gossip.

"Of course," Inko began, "Yumi made in very clear that she wouldn't ever betray her client's confidentiality. Even if her client was a Pro Hero. _Especially_ if her client cried in her nurse's arms under the influence of anesthesia. "

Shouta snorted and quickly covered his mouth so as not to spit tea. It seemed he hadn't seen that twist coming, or hadn't expected her to tell.

"Yumi made it very clear that you should never know anything about the procedure if I ever saw you, so I'm not going to say a word about anyone allegedly kissing a vending machine. You'll get no expertly substantiated rumors from me!"

Inko took a very prim and proper sip of tea and Shouta tried to stop his shoulders from shaking.

"He… _He kissed a vending machine._ Oh, I wish I'd have been the one to pick him up." Shouta looked like he was over the moon. "He found a relative, somebody who already knows everything embarrassing about him, unfortunately."

"Oh that's just too bad." Inko teased. "But I guess you'll never know. My lips are sealed."

They talked about what underground hero work was like. Shouta finished his cookie. They talked about various funny things teenagers had asked them at work. Inko went inside for another cup of tea. There was a discussion about All Might and how ' _really, he's not that easy to work with, trust me'._ Inko laughed so hard she thought she'd start crying.

They did work their way around to talking about Izuku. She figured they might. Hopefully, she wouldn't say anything embarrassing; something Izuku might be upset about-

"Can you tell me anything about Katsuki? Perhaps what their history is?"

Inko bit her lip. She was dear friends with the Bakugous, and goodness knows Mitsuki said some things that Inko would like to take to heart, would like to comfort herself with. But this was someone else's child. Her friend's son. She would have to be honest, but not scathing. Show Mitsuki the same courtesy.

"Izuku's always looked up to him, I think. Wanted to be just like him, sort of. When Katsuki's quirk came in and Izuku's… didn't- or so we thought, it… Katsuki was always confident as a child. You might call it cocky now, but he's always been very sure of himself."

Inko paused. Shouta, as a teacher, had a chance to help her son. To help him live his dream and ignite that spark of confidence in himself he was just starting to show. But, he could help Katsuki too.

"He was so sure of himself, I think, that he might've assumed that, well, other people are like that too. That they say things and do things with the same faith that he has in himself. Perhaps every time Izuku said 'I'm going to be just like All Might someday', Katsuki took it seriously."

Shouta followed her story silently, until then. "I think he might be applying that logic a step further. 'I'm going to be the greatest hero' he finishes with 'because I think I can do it better than you'. If enough people tell him he's better, he believes it, believes it when he says he can do something better. Applying his own thought process to other people is going to get him into trouble."

Inko blinked. A comprehensive analysis. "Yes… I just worry how Izuku will take it. If Katsuki is stronger, it might be like when his quirk first developed, only worse."

"I think he-" A phone alarm interrupted his revelation and Shouta began fishing in his jacket. His eyes widened just a fraction as he saw the alert on his phone and switched off the beeping. "I'm sorry. I have a meeting."

Reaccustomed to Shouta's attitude, Inko nodded and stood with him. "That's fine! I had a lot of fun. Walk to the train station together?"

He paused to do the math on that before nodding. "That would be alright."

-\\\/-

It was unfortunate that Shouta had the luck he did. Inko remembered him having uncommonly bad luck in school, always getting roped into different clubs and events with his class, and it seemed to have carried into adulthood. Two blocks down and in front of a different café, trouble burst out into the street.

Shouta held an arm in front of Inko as the incident began to unfold. A woman with glowing hands and a man with moth wings shot out of an alleyway with two pro heroes hot in pursuit. Inko recognized Keroine instantly, along with the young man who had recently become her sidekick. The new hero Holdfast was recent graduate from a hero school in the UK if Inko remembered correctly. She liked to keep up with her old friend. They'd chatted briefly after Keroine's ACL surgery a few years ago but not much since then.

The woman with the glowing hands was making an energy shield of some sort that was deflecting Holdfast's attacks. Inko remembered reading about his Gel quirk, which gave him the ability to shoot quick-drying sticky gel from his arms. The clear gel would harden in less than 30 seconds and was extremely difficult to get rid of. The blurb in the magazine said he used it to style his hair. Looking at the blue mohawked locks, Inko believed it.

The energy shield fell briefly, and Keroine used the opening to pry the two fleeing villains apart with her hair. The moth man swerved away, and with Holdfast so far away from the center of the fight, it looked like he could gain some ground.

"I got him!" Holdfast yelled and raised his arms. The flying felon changed course, coming in Inko and Shouta's direction at full speed. They may have been out for lunch, but the Pro Hero Eraserhead wasn't going to let this stand. His hair stood on end and the moth man crashed to the ground.

Unfortunately, he fell to reveal a clear glob of gel flying right at them. Inko grabbed her friend's jacket and pulled his head clear of the oncoming attack. Barely an instant later, something hit her square in the middle and the pair was thrown back into the café wall.

Inko opened her eyes from where they'd been scared shut and found herself half encased in Holdfast's drying gel. Most of her left side and Shouta's right arm and legs were trapped as well.

His eyes widened. "Hurry."

Frantically, they began pushing off of the wall, and Inko managed to get her back away before the drying got worse. Inko's hand was glued to Shouta's jacket where she had grabbed it, and his right arm was frozen in front of her collarbone where he'd attempted to shield her. Their legs were trapped completely.

"Oh-oh dear…"

Shouta sighed. "That is an understatement." He attempted to pull his arm free with his other hand. Inko felt a slight tug on the hardened gel, but they remained stuck. Her 'free' hand was a little tied down by a few strings of gel that had hardened to her cardigan, but she could still move her fingers. The clear gel had hardened slightly blue, like cartoon ice, but was otherwise completely unpleasant.

Keroine hurried over while Holdfast secured the villains. "Are you two alright? We have a little dissolving solution onhand and we can call the office for more." As she neared, recognition lit up on her face. "Inko! Long time no see!"

Inko smiled and wiggled her free fingers at her old friend. "Hello! It's fine, I wasn't in a terrible rush, but I don't know about…"

"Keroine." Shouta nodded her way.

"Eraserhead." She looked like she was trying to fight back a grin. "Thanks for your help. I'm sorry about Holdfast, he's got an itchy trigger finger- _trigger arm_ , I'm afraid." She took a cylindrical container from her utility belt and began shaking it like one would a can of spray paint.

Holdfast had a hand to his earpiece and was hurrying their way. "Miss Keroine! That was Clipper at the office. He said he's sending some- Oh!" The young man stopped in his tracks upon seeing Inko and Shouta frozen like living statues in front of the café. His mouth snapped shut and he became rather flushed.

"Holdfast, this is my old friend Doctor Inko and… um… the underground hero Eraserhead." Keroine proceeded to spray the dissolving solution around Shouta's neck, where a stray glob of gel was holding his head at an odd angle.

"M-my apologies!" Holdfast bowed quickly and his mohawk bobbed. He pulled spray bottles off his own belt and continued. "I didn't realize you were there to intervene. I'm so sorry." He started spraying Inko's right arm. The bluish strings began to melt and slip right off like water on glass.

Keroine's bottle ran out on Shouta's mid-chest and Holdfast handed her one of his before babbling some more. "I know I need to work on situational awareness especially in heavily populated areas." His rapid-fire assessment reminded her of Izuku. "Such a bad place to mess up too! Lots of outdoor cafes and shopping centers. I'm very sorry for ruining your date!"

Everyone except Holdfast froze, seemingly unaware of what he had just said. He paused, wide-eyed, just as Keroine whacked him on the back of the head.

"Have some tact kid!" She hissed, an instant before Inko blurted, " _This is my son's teacher!_ "

The only sound in the immediate area, save for the murmur of onlookers, was the sound of aerosol spray cans. It wasn't a moment before a police officer arrived and offered his assistance. Holdfast took the opportunity to bolt and get back on the phone with the hero office.

"Sorry about him." Keroine said, looking anywhere but at the pair of them. "He's overeager."

"Reminds me of my students." Shouta said. To Inko, it felt like he was really driving the 'parent-teacher' thing home, thank goodness. Like it could get worse than being trapped in gel for all the city to see.

" _Hello fellow heroes! I am here- to make sure everyone's alright!"_

Oh, absolutely it could get worse.

"All Might!" Keroine sounded so relieved, Inko almost felt bad for her. But, really, the first time she ever meets All Might and she's glued to her son's teacher, _his coworker?_ No sympathy.

"What's the situation h- _hh-…_ " He stopped in his tracks at the sight of them and the chaos. Inko was sure her face was as red as the detailing in his costume. Shouta, to her left, was scowling.

Keroine was absolutely oblivious to the secondary situation. "There was a robbery, but it's been handled. The perpetrators are over there. My sidekick managed to take care of them and… had a little trouble with his aim."

Inko felt like her throat was frozen closed. Standing _right there_ in front of her, was all seven-foot-two-and-a-half-inches, four hundred and ninety-six pounds of All Might. A giant half-ton superhuman. Right there. Had this been how Izuku had felt all those months ago? Her mouth had fallen open but there was no sound coming out. _All Might_ was right there!

"Eraserhead." All Might nodded to his colleague. Shouta squinted but nodded back.

"I know you've met Mrs. Midoriya." He said pointedly.

All Might's deeply shadowed eyes seemed to move her way. "No! I had to miss that evening and I am sure that I- All Might- did not have the pleasure!" It seemed a little forced, but Inko figured it was probably meant to make her feel more at ease. She sure needed it. Keroine had freed her fingers, but they were still clenched in a panic around Shouta's arm.

"N-n-nice to m-meet you, Mister All M-Might, sir." She could've bowed or fainted, but the gel around her lower body was holding her upright.

"We were discussing Midoriya's training plans." Shouta interjected. "Inko gave me some great insight, and I think we should arrange conferences at some point with each of the students' parents."

All Might was similarly frozen for a moment. Inko noticed that an awkward tension seemed to have fallen over the scene. More awkward that it had been moments ago, if possible. She shook out the fingers in her right arm, registered the stranglehold on Shouta's jacket, and released him. Keroine had run out of spray, so they were both still trapped here for the time being. _Wonderful._

"I've-I've-I've heard wonderful things about your classes from Izuku. I'm sure it would be a great benefit to the students to know each individual's strengths from their parents. Of-of course, there's the timing and different schedules… and- and I-…" She trailed off, unsure of what on _earth_ she should say to the Number One hero, her son's teacher. What on earth!

It seemed her luck was finally turning around when Holdfast returned with another hero and an armful of the aerosol bottles. With the situation so in hand, All Might bid them farewell and leapt off to wherever he was going next. Inko thought she was going to fall over from the surprise. She grabbed Shouta's sleeve and put a hand to her chest. After they had been separated, he'd crossed his arms in that sulky manner of his, but now he looked down at her with an exasperated expression.

"That was _All Might._ "

"Yeah. Did the hair tip you off?"

Inko smacked his arm. "You work with him! For us- us _mere mortals_ that's the Symbol of Peace! And-… and Izuku's hero. You could be a little more sympathetic, Shouta!"

He snorted. "Not when you know him. He's a big ball of cheese."

All Might, a big ball of cheese. Inko laughed until she fell over, much to the embarrassment of the furiously working Holdfast. Shouta only sighed and sat down next to her. The only thing better than embarrassing All Might was embarrassing Toshinori, and he'd just got two for one.


	25. Chapter 25

It was so exciting! Inko kept the radio on and hummed along as she tidied up the house. Izuku had scarfed down his breakfast like a madman. He was so eager to get going! Of course, today was a very special day. The school year had barely begun and he was already growing, already going out and learning new things. He came home every day with news about All Might or Shouta's class- _even if he did get a little red when his Mom called his homeroom teacher 'Shouta'_ \- and a big smile on his face! Izuku was loving UA, and Inko was glad to hear it.

She emptied her dustpan into the trashcan and banged it on the side to shake out all the crumbs. Izuku would probably be tired after running around doing rescue training all day. He would probably want a big dinner. But what to make, what to make… Maybe one of his favorites? Maybe something that wasn't messy or crumbly as he'd be inclined to talk with his mouth full. Izuku just got so excited, and it was so good to see him able to _be_ excited.

His dream wasn't dead. He could be a hero, a great hero, and he was happy again. Of course, with Shouta in charge of his homeroom class, there was even less of a chance Izuku would hurt himself with his quirk again. He was still a little on the fence about 'exponential power growth' and Inko wondered if he was doing his own analytical research. After all, he kept those hero notebooks. Maybe he wanted to know for sure, figure it out on his own. It was a little different- alright, a lot different- from when she'd gotten her quirk. She had both her parents there experimenting and encouraging her to try different things.

But they'd been certain he was quirkless. There was no experimental phase, no questions, no tests. Just tears. Perhaps he was just making up for lost time. Inko wouldn't get in his way.

Signing his permission slip was just another way she could help him get to find himself. Izuku could train and test the limits of his quirk at the finest facilities UA had to offer. He could see if it was a product of his breathing (exercise techniques required a lot of it, and maybe something of Hisashi's had come through in him) or if it was an attraction of power? A freak mutation? Stranger things had happened in a world of superhumans.

She went to the grocery store after she finished with the kitchen. It wasn't too crowded at this time, which suited her perfectly. Just a quick stop for vegetables, then paper towels and dish soap. There was a sale on that white and orange tea blend Shouta always ordered. Inko had practically bullied him into morning tea on weekends after their first fateful parent-teacher conference. He seemed to have few friends outside work. Besides that, it was nice seeing her old friend again.

Inko made good time getting home, and finished putting the groceries away just the house phone started to ring.

"Hello? This is the Midoriya residence."

The make, model, and color of the car had been her mantra for the past seven minutes as she stood anxiously by the curb, wiping away the tears so she could better search the road. She knew the moment it arrived, and even went so far as to run and meet the driver halfway. The passenger door was unlocked when she got there. Open, close, seatbelt before she even registered the driver's face. And… well… the rest of the driver.

Inko knew about the 18+ hero Midnight, but had never seen her in person- no, just not in _full costume_ before. But she didn't have time for awkwardness.

"Izuku?"

Midnight was already pulling the car out of the lot and onto the road. "He's recovering wonderfully. I've been receiving reports, and I came straight from the USJ to get you. It's… he was the only one-…"

While Inko had been focused on the road, on picking out faster traffic decisions and plotting the rout in her head, she hadn't been paying _any_ attention to the Pro Hero driving. Be it mother's intuition or whatever else, something changed in the car that instant. Inko turned to look at Midnight. She was very focused on the road as well, stoic, but with a tightness around the corners of her mouth that seemed to suggest she was distressed. Izuku was the only one hurt… Was she concerned? Did she feel guilty?

As a mother, Inko was terrified for her son. It didn't matter that she knew he was safe and sound in Recovery Girl's hands. The students had been attacked by villains, and she knew her sweet, stubborn, impetuous Izuku well enough to not be surprised. Shocked that it had happened at all, but not surprised by his actions.

She was beside herself with worry, and Midnight was visibly shaken. Though, it seemed the wall was building back up. The hero's calm front was pushing through and protecting whatever was vulnerable underneath.

"They're a very talented group of kids." Midnight commented, her tone of voice not matching the way she'd just hit the accelerator. "These tender blossoms are growing into the luscious fruits of their labor more and more every day."

What a strange conversation to start. It was almost generic teacher talk. 'My, the students are doing very well. So far in their studies, excellent grades!' A growing unease rose in the pit of Inko's gut. Something else had happened. Something that may not affect her boy, but something terrible all the same.

Inko was about to break the silence with another question when her cell phone buzzed in her purse. With the possibility of it being Izuku, or news regarding him, she quickly fumbled with the magnetic clasp and picked up.

"Hello?"

" _Hello, this is Nurse Inoue from QHC General Hospital. Am I speaking to Mrs. Midoriya?"_

QHC? Had… had something happened to Izuku? Had his condition worsened?

"Yes. Is this about Izuku? I thought he was at the school!"

 _"No, no ma'am, this is regarding another patient. We have you listed as the civilian contact for Shouta Aizawa who was admitted a few hours ago. In the event that his primary contact is detained on hero business, we're letting you know about his condition and release timeline."_

Shouta? _Shouta too?_ Inko felt herself trembling all over. If it was as bad as all that, what had happened to Izuku? And worse- if the villains managed to injure a student, how badly had the teachers been hurt first? Her panicked eyes caught Midnight's, and suddenly everything became clear.

Inko swallowed hard and tried to regain some composure. "My s-s-… my son was injured today as well s-so it might take me s-some time to get there…"

 _"That's alright. We're just letting you know in case Mr. Aizawa's primary contact suddenly becomes unavailable. His condition is stable, though there are a few recovery procedures we will need to discuss in the event that you are the next available person."_

The rest of the conversation went as smooth as ice. Inko's insides felt absolutely glacial as she hung up the phone and deposited it back into her purse. Her hands were trembling. She grabbed the crossbody strap with white knuckles, hoping the seatbelt would provide some comfort. It didn't. Midnight was still quiet.

"Th-that was QHC." Inko began. "I'm-" she sniffed, blinking away tears, "-Shouta's CC, apparently."

"Don't worry." Midnight said softly. "I'm his primary. Unless something goes horribly wrong, he's in good hands."

Inko stared out the passenger side window, eyes full to bursting. She replied softly, "Hasn't it already?"

As the sunset bathed the school in an orange glow, Midnight pulled her car up to the UA parking lot. They got out and then it was a race to the nurse's office. Midnight led the way, and paused for a moment at the door. What she blocked the entrance for, Inko didn't know. Was it Izuku? Was it worse than she had led Inko to believe?

The moment Midnight moved, Inko burst into the room. There was Recovery Girl, a patient bundled under a sheet in one of the beds, and…

"Izuku!"

"Mom!"

She ran forward, her tears springing forth afresh. There was her baby, the light of her life. He looked perfectly healthy, save for the bandages. Izuku was fine! He was just fine! But that didn't stop the tears from pouring down her face. She ran to his bedside and pulled him close to her chest, like he would be safer in her arms.

It was a long time before Inko let him go. She ran her fingers through his hair, thinking about how very lucky she was that he was even alive. A bunch of students attacked by villains? Truly the UA staff was something else. They had kept her baby safe. All Might, Shouta- she had to thank them!

Inko held her son's face in both hands. She could see it in his eyes, the same something wrong that Midnight had seen. He knew. Oh, what he had seen… Inko wished she could take it from him, the pain, the memories. He must've been so scared. Barely starting Hero classes, a brand new quirk, and suddenly all this!

"Izuku, sweetie, what's wrong?" She brushed his hair back out of his face, wishing desperately it could be like when he was younger, when she could protect him from everything. When she didn't have to worry about him having a dangerous quirk or being a target…

"Mom I know you t-told me to be careful…" He held his bandaged arm close to his stomach. To think he might be ashamed of his recklessness was too much. "And I was! It was an emergency. They were going to hurt Tsu! And All Might! M-mom, they wanted to _kill_ All Might!"

What was even a mother to do in the face of something like that? The villains attacked the school because they wanted to kill _All Might?_ Either they were very stupid, or they thought they had a chance. And how powerful did they have to be- how strong did the villains that tried to hurt her son have to be- to think they could pull it off? Inko pulled him back into a hug.

"But it was OK! Because he was there." She'd whispered the mantra back to him hundreds of times over the years. When Izuku watched something too scary for someone his age on the news, when he'd seen or heard of a tragedy surrounding a villain attack. It was what kept much of his anxieties about the world at bay. All Might was the Symbol of Peace, and everything was going to be OK.

She felt Izuku nod into her shoulder. "And-and- and I was there. I helped. That's how I broke my arm." He pulled back to look her in the eye. Inko's heart sank when she recognized that expression. It was searching for a mother's help when there was no other help to be found.

"I couldn't let them do it! Not after Mister Aizawa saved us and th- and then he… and h-…" There was such raw terror in Izuku's voice that Inko's hands tightened around him of their own accord. What scared Izuku so bad he couldn't even mumble? That horrible feeling in her gut only got stronger.

Inko brushed a tear off his cheek, oblivious to any other presence in the room. It was just her and her son. He needed help. "He saved you? I'm so glad, Izuku. You know, he always wanted to save people, so it's no small wonder that…" The words froze in her throat as he looked up again with glistening eyes. She knew where her son's homeroom teacher was right now. The dams broke in the corners of her eyes as well.

"No Mom, he- he saved Tsu. The v-villain boss was going to… disintegrate her." He forced the words out, as they seemed so painful to say. "And Mister Aizawa stopped him. But that was only after he'd taken down dozens of villains on his own, and his fighting _style isn't really adapted to that. So he was overtired and stretched beyond extremes and-_ "

The discomfort only grew as Izuku continued babbling, swiping tears from his eyes with both hands. "We couldn't move! The Noumu hit him _again and again_ until- until- until…He stopped moving." Izuku's voice was hollow as, she knew, he was seeing the events as real as day in his mind's eye. She'd been a doctor long enough to know the eyes of someone who'd seen too much.

Inko felt the heat building in her throat as the tears poured down her face as well. The students had made it. They made it because Shouta had… Because he'd…

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Recovery Girl was standing there, offering the both of them a box of tissues. She pulled back the curtain with her walking stick as to afford them- or her other patient- some level of privacy. Inko hadn't even noticed the man standing in the corner, a familiar face she couldn't quite bring a name to. He was a police officer, but it seemed Recovery Girl deemed this important enough to hide.

Izuku blew his nose loudly and Inko tried to quickly dry her eyes. Recovery Girl patted both their shoulders and glanced at Izuku's arm.

"He's free to go home. I think he'd prefer to sleep in his own bed after today." She said. "I have… another one here who rather needs a bit more space than we have available."

"An-nother student?" Inko asked. "I thought Izuku was the only one!"

"Oh no," Recovery Girl said quickly. "This isn't one of his classmates. But, if you don't mind terribly Inko sweetie, now would be a good time to check your son out and get him some rest."

The 'youthful heroine' turned her eyes on Izuku. "Straight to bed with you. Your body needs time to recover. And… it's been a stressful day."

"M-Mrs. Shuzenji?" Inko hadn't called her old teacher that in years. She balled her fists around a crumpled tissue and tried to keep her voice steady. "Can I speak w-with you in the hall a moment?"

Recovery Girl seemed to understand the gravity of the request. She looked somber as she nodded, turning and closing the other patient's curtain on her way to the door. Inko was glad for it. Even if it wasn't one of Izuku's classmates, she would hate to either embarrass her son or burden the student with her troubles. Even Midnight looked sympathetic as they passed. Once the door was shut, Inko choked back a sob.

"Is he- _is Izuku-_ …" She scrubbed her face with her sleeve. The trembling anguish within threatened to break through at any moment. " _Is he g-going to be alright?"_

Admittedly she was terrified. What kind of world did they live in where villains would go after children at school? Where- where her son was going to follow his dream. It was terrifying to think that there were people out there in the world who were sick enough to even think of attacking children. She _knew_ such people existed- she'd treated enough victims to understand that the world was a deeply broken place. But this was different. As much as she might abhor it as a doctor, even as a citizen, she couldn't stand to come face to face with evil as a mother.

Recovery Girl gave her another tissue. "Izuku will be alright, Inko dear. He's not so badly hurt that he can't recover. I think they're all quite shocked about the whole thing, but he's a resilient boy. You should've seen him earlier, talking to All Might. You know that's how he broke his arm, saving his hero? It was still a fool thing to do but… I don't think this will break him."

Inko blew her nose and wiped her eyes furiously. While it was only a minor consolation that Izuku had been hurt doing something _heroic_ , it was a balm for her second worry: that he would be emotionally scarred for life. But that wasn't her only concern.

"But I'm-I'm Shouta's CC." She bit her lip. "How am I supposed to be there for both of them if something happens? He-… Izuku m-made it sound like…"

Recovery Girl's face fell, and Inko nearly dissolved again. "I won't lie to you, dearie." She began. "He put his life on the line for his students. The damage is extensive, but he will recover. Shouta's no quitter, even if he is a grouch."

Inko let out a resigned sigh. There was only so much she could do, only so many places she could be. How did Recovery Girl do it, handling so many young and eager students who were putting themselves in harm's way to be Heroes? To rescue people and do all sorts of good and noble things with a huge risk of injury added on?

"What do I do?" Inko whispered down to the tiles. "I don't know if my heart can take it."

Recovery Girl was silent for a moment. She stretched out her arm and placed a hand on Inko's shoulder. "You have an exceptional heart, Inko. I don't have your answers, but I know you will find them."

She needed a minute more to compose herself, but soon Inko was walking back into the nurse's office to help Izuku with his things. He didn't have much, just a light duffel bag, but she was going to carry it for him. No chance risking his poor arm.

They thanked Recovery Girl again and began walking with Midnight back to her car. Once they got back on the road, it was only a few minutes before Izuku fell asleep in the back seat.

"I'll pick up Shouta tonight, if they'll let me." Midnight said quietly. "His broken bones will heal though there's… some chance he won't be able to use his quirk as well. The thing that did this to him, it-" She bit her lip to keep from saying more. It certainly wasn't something to worry a civilian over.

Inko turned back to look at her son. The day had exhausted him, and now he was sleeping soundly. He would probably sleep through the whole night and on into the morning. Recovery Girl's quirk would require a lot of energy from him yet.


	26. Chapter 26

In the back of her mind she hatched a plan.

Once she was sure Izuku was fine on his own- he'd settled down to play video games- she slipped out under the pretense of running errands. A different nurse had called to let here know there were complications with Shouta's skull fracture, and that he'd need to be held overnight for observation. Checkout was set for late afternoon, so she thought she might have time.

She set a few things out on the counter and left a note for Izuku in case he needed something urgently. They were always well stocked on medical supplies, and she'd written Toshinori's number down in case there was a more UA-related emergency. Inko was a worrier. And she worried that Izuku might not 'bounce back' as well emotionally as Recovery Girl had estimated. Somebody like Toshinori could help him. He'd seen the full spectrum of Hero life, and he seemed to take a liking to Izuku at school. It would be fine.

She hoped it would be. The train was quiet, as was the walk to the front desk at QHC General. Inko was informed that Midnight had stepped out and Shouta was resting, but she could see him. Room 428. She walked the halls mechanically in search of the door. Once, she would've had a clipboard and lab coat and a good idea of where she was. Not that it was difficult to find 428.

It was much harder to breathe. As a former doctor, Inko knew what every chart, every blip on the monitor, every tube, every bandage crisscrossing her friend's face meant. She could tell at a glance the level of medication, the various supports, and the utter _agony_ Shouta had to be in when he was awake.

But he wasn't. And that was almost worse.

Inko crept up to the bedside. Shouta was breathing on his own and that was a good sign. Despite being utterly swaddled in bandages, it did look like the worst of it was over. There were no bulky casts or wires suspending limbs. He was on the road to recovery. But it didn't mean he was 'fixed'. She knew the difference.

"Shouta, it's me." She said softly. People were remarkable- the human body attuned to surroundings in ways the conscious mind didn't often grasp- and this person perhaps more so. Shouta had taken all this hurt for his students. What had Izuku said? Even after fighting far too many villains, he had still come to their aid?

His head and arms were both heavily bandaged. Inko knew better than to make any contact there. While it might be normal to hold someone's hand in recovery, in this case it would probably do more harm than good. She placed a feather-light hand on his shoulder, free and clear of the damage. Still, she was careful.

"I owe you a debt I can't repay. You saved my son. And while you may have put me as your CC thinking you'd never need to call, you great fool of a man, I'm going to do everything I can to help you get better. Even if I have to come up to the school myself to make sure you-"

Someone knocked on the door. Inko turned quickly, thinking it might be Midnight. The door slid open a crack and it was a student. Inko recognized the frog girl from the open house- very sweet parents- but had trouble placing her name. _Tsu, Izuku said? Was that short for something?_

The girl's eyes widened. "I'm sorry- ribbit." She said. "I didn't know anyone was here. I'll leave."

"No, wait!" This was the child Shouta had saved, besides her son. She deserved to be here. "It's alright. I'm Izuku's mother. You can come in. He's… resting."

The frog girl held one hand on the doorknob a moment before entering. It looked like she had hurried out to visit the hospital as well, wearing casual clothes and looking fairly nervous.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, Mrs. Midoriya. Izuku told us about how you and Mister Aizawa were friends." Her eyes caught on the bed and the conversation effectively lulled. Even to a civilian eye, he looked horrible. Inko could only wonder what the poor girl thought.

She placed a hand on the young lady's shoulder, momentarily forgetting her own grief. "I've talked to a few doctors- and I was a doctor once myself if that means anything- and his prognosis is good. By all reports he should be fine, although it will take him a while to heal up and regain his normal stamina."

The student took this in quietly, scanning her teacher with those large, inquisitive eyes.

"If I hadn't been so scared-…" She started, sniffling. "If I hadn't been scared, I could've moved before the villain got to me. Th-then Mister Aizawa wouldn't have had to use his quirk again, and then the villains wouldn't have-… they wouldn't have had to-…"

Inko patted the girl's shoulder. There seemed to be so little comfort to provide. What did you tell someone with survivor's guilt, even when it only meant 'surviving' unscathed?

"Not to be rude, sweetheart, but it's no good thinking like that." Inko looked down at her brave, reckless, selfless friend lying in the hospital bed. "Even if you could go back and change it, who knows what would've happened? But at the same time, you know something now you didn't know before."

Inko thought back to her youth, when she was young and frightened by the world. In some ways, she was still that scared teenager fretting about whether the coast was clear enough to cross the street. What this young lady had to be dealing with was unimaginable.

"It turned out better than it could have this time. And if there's ever a next time, you can use this to help you." Inko sighed. "I know it's all just words, but I don't think he would want you to worry either. He'd probably say something sarcastic like 'well then don't do that anymore' and move on."

The girl gave Inko a gurgling laugh through tears. She was painfully aware how young this class was, and how traumatic this experience was for them.

"Thank you, Mrs. Midoriya." She wiped her eyes with one of those big froggy hands and turned to look at Inko. "I don't like being scared, but I think he was more scared. For us. If it hadn't been for him and Thirteen and All Might…"

Thoughtless of whether or not Izuku would be embarrassed if he were here, Inko pulled his classmate into a hug. This poor girl had seen too much as well. This was a tragedy that could haunt these students for the rest of their lives. At least it hadn't ended worse.

"Thank you." The young lady said again earnestly. "But I should go. I snuck out of the house to come here. My parents won't be happy if they find out."

"Are you alright to get home? Do you need someone to go with you?" Inko looked around for where she had dropped her purse in clumsy haste.

"It's alright. I'm friends with the train officials- ribbit." She gave Inko an odd smile. "They make sure I'm safe when I have to run errands when my parents are out of town. It'll be fine, I promise."

Inko bit her lip, glanced back at Shouta, and let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. She turned back to her son's friend and smiled.

"Then we'll both get a chance to say hello." It's what Shouta would want. It was her first instinct as a mother. Whatever was in store for her friend tonight, he had his Pro contact watching over him. This young lady was in need of a chaperone home.

And Inko… Inko had to get back home to her son. He needed her now most of all. This young lady Tsu had been in desperate need of someone to talk to. She needed to open up, unburden herself of the guilt that no doubt came with being a target. Hopefully, she'd be able to discuss with the other students and they could all benefit from the experience.

But that was going to have to wait a minute. Right now, Inko was busy running face-first into an opening door.

 _"_ I am h _\- Oh, crap!"_

"All Might!"

Inko staggered back from the doorway. She didn't know if her brain was stuttering to a halt from the shock, or if Tsu had really just said ' _All Might'_. The encounter went from bad to embarrassing as a very large hand steadied her shoulder. Oh yes. She'd been worried about her first impression before, but this just sealed it. No way All Might would take her seriously after walking into a door! Oh poor Izuku- why did he have to have such an embarrassing mother?

"I'm- I'm sorry, All Might, I wasn't w-watching-…"

"Just like a Midoriya to apologize where they have no fault!" All Might said, in what may have been an attempt to diffuse the situation. He gestured with a very hideous bouquet of flowers before he realized he was dropping petals all over the floor. Quickly he switched gears. "I should have been more observant! I could have caused you or Miss Asui greater injury!"

Inko had acclimated to the sheer terror and tried to find her voice again. "It's really n-no worry… We were j-just leaving! He's- Mister Eraserhead is still sleeping." No need to call him 'Shouta' in front of his student… and colleague, after what happened last time.

"Ah! I see. Ahem…" All Might seemed nervous. It would have been comical were it not for the circumstance. "Young Asui, would you mind giving Mrs. Midoriya and I a moment?"

Tsu- Asui? nodded and retreated into the hall. For _whatever reason_ , it was just her and All Might. And Shouta. But he'd better be asleep or she was going to kill him.

"Mrs. Midoriya…" He started again. "I would like to apologize not only for… just now, but also about the USJ incident. If it weren't for my-…. Needlessly busy schedule that morning, I would have been in time to prevent anyone from being injured."

Inko could sweat she went white as a sheet. All Might? Apologizing for his busy schedule? She could slap him, had she not just been hit with a door. And were she not more than a foot short of his face.

"Mr. All Might, no offense, but I'm tired of talking people out of survivor's guilt." She said with all the courage she could muster. "It's not your fault villains attacked! Just-just like it's not the victim's fault for being mugged on the street. Or a bank's fault for being robbed. So-…so please stop thinking that way!"

She straightened up to her full height, still trembling. "I-I'll take Miss Asui home and tell Izuku you said hello." With that she walked out the door, light-headed from the sheer stress of it all.

Her footsteps faded down the hallway and All Might stood there in shock. That is, until the silence was broken by a hoarse but exuberant laugh.

"You-you-… you hit her with the door!" The bandage-buried patient was shaking- _coughing_ with undisguised glee. "Oh, I wish I could see the look on your face."

"Aizawa! You _cad!_ "


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N:**

 _ **Twas some night before Christmas, and sonuvagun**_  
 _ **Y'all get a nice update, if only the one**_  
 _ **The spelling was combed by the spellcheck with "care"**_  
 _ **I hope that of grammar I'm somewhat aware.**_  
 _ **The words taking form outside of my head**_  
 _ **Not in a Word document lurking instead**_  
 _ **When out of the blue some ol' chapter appear'd**_  
 _ **Those of you who get updates hopefully cheered**_  
 _ **Away to the update you go like a flash,**_  
 _ **Prepared for action, intrigue, Texas Smash!**_  
 _ **When what in the absolute heck should appear**_  
 _ **But recaps of stuff in the anime last year?**_  
 _ **But hark! I would never a fan disappoint,**_  
 _ **Let's get some angst plots goin' up in this joint**_

 _ **yeah I'm too lazy to write the whole poem tonight HERE WE GO!**_

He bounced back. It was just like Recovery girl said. Shouta too, but with the caveat that she now had a laminated CC card to go in her wallet. It wasn't the kind of gift that inspired confidence. But she hadn't had to use it again. The League of Villains had remained mostly quiet. One harrowing resurgence of Noumu and a threat from the infamous Shigaraki weren't enough to bring her to a full-blown panic.

But she had her reservations, and they were only growing. The League had a bone to pick with UA. A vendetta. And these individuals had no qualms with hurting- with _killing_ \- students. Izuku had been targeted on a shopping trip. He'd been near-abducted during his internship with Gran Torino. Why her son? And why this class of students at UA? Something was going on here. Secrets were being kept- and not just the ones Izuku pretended he didn't have. She didn't pry. She didn't feel like she truly needed to, as long as he was always forthcoming with news. As long as he was honest for the most part, Inko rarely felt the hurt of being outside her son's trust.

Izuku was as bright and cheerful as ever. Only now, he seemed more determined to advance his training. He'd worked hard, he'd gotten himself into more trouble than she expected… Inko supposed she had to be grateful. At least Izuku was going to get better at protecting himself.

But, every time he came home looking more tired than usual, every time he ate more than usual, every time he skipped a routine workout-... How many times did Recovery Girl have to put him back together? It had been a near escape in the Sports Festival. She couldn't stop worrying about the upper limits. One of these days, her selfless Izuku was going to find himself in a situation where would take more damage for another's sake. How could any mother face that reality?

It only cemented her certainty that _something_ was brewing. Izuku's secret or secrets that he didn't feel he ought to (could?) bring to her were only raising the pressure. Sooner or later, something had to give.

And now this. Inko twirled the cup of green tea in her hands. Logically, she knew other mothers did. Other mothers must. What kind of relief flooded through a parent's heart every nice their child- a police officer, a firefighter, a support hero- turned up alright? Only this was worse. He didn't have a provisional license. In theory, her son shouldn't even be on the list of targets. And yet...

"It's only different because he's so young. I don't… know how I'll manage when he's older. When he's doing this for real." She dipped her head. "I'm s-sorry. I know he's fine this time… But there's always a next time, isn't there?"

Detective Tsukauchi gave her a small smile. "It isn't easy. I know my mother worries more than I'd like. But I am sorry he found himself involved in this. Not sure if it helps, but his presence on the scene was coincidental."

She wasn't impatient. She wasn't _upset_ with the detective, but right now she was having a hard time accepting anything she heard. Inko _knew_ the risks. She'd seen the aftermath all too often. Heroes didn't make it. Someone had to tell the families, the siblings, the mothers… She'd worked at a Quirk Hospital. But what was happening to Izuku and his classmates was _madness._

"I know the risks, and so does he. It's his dream, Detective. But… he's still a child."

That was the heart of it. He was _her_ child. On top of everything else… Inko couldn't shake the dread that bubbled up every time Izuku was involved in an incident. This time was no different.

She'd had this conversation before. Shouta had started meeting for tea again. They'd talked, almost as if nothing had happened. She'd met for a few lunches with Toshinori. Both of them assured her that Izuku was safe and doing exceedingly well, though she had a few choice words with them over how All Might had been allowed to essentially beat her son and Katsuki to a pulp in an exam environment.

Shouta had agreed. She had a feeling that despite all appearances, he had the protective nature of any parent. She'd only heard good things from Izuku, albeit sometimes Inko had to read between the lines to parse out Shouta's strategy.

Toshinori had been… He'd been more reticent. Of course, he hadn't been there, wasn't a teacher. But, he'd said that All Might's approach did produce more dramatic results. Maybe it was the right tactic for Katsuki, who tended to take every obstacle head-on in a quest for victory. Maybe it was even alright for Izuku, who often had a skewed vision of reality. They both needed to learn to adapt. They both needed a challenge so great that it forced them out of their comfort zones and into the mindset of a hero.

But was this the way? Days of training in the heat of summer, far away from home? Izuku had been thrilled, and Shouta was chaperoning which put Inko's mind at ease. It sounded like a wonderful idea on paper. Now, she was conversing with a police detective.

Inko wondered what Mitsuki's conversation had sounded like.

"That's why we're taking extra measures. That's why we're having this conversation." Tsukauchi stood. "It's no comfort, but we've never seen anything like this before either. The concerns that have been raised around-… these events are being taken seriously. It must not sound like much coming from me, but steps are being taken."

He paused, one hand still resting on the table. "And I'm going to talk to his teachers. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think you should talk to Izuku about this. He does care about what you think."

Tsukauchi checked his watch. "He should be finished up. I'll walk you to the front desk."

Inko was confident she could find it on her own. In all honesty, she didn't want another police escort. It reminded her too much of before. She'd seen her friend lying broken- _permanently injured with low chances-_ on the operating table. In her nightmares, she walked the same halls to see her son. Doctor Midoriya again… Would she be pulling shrapnel out of her son? Should she take up medicine again? Something to do, a safety net in case Izuku met with the worst?

But she kept quiet. Izuku had destroyed his arms again. That was her problem for the immediate future. His friends had visited, and apparently some of them were alive because of his intervention. She couldn't be upset with him. She could only be upset with the administration that failed to protect their students. Inko told herself that, because raging with hate against an invisible enemy was a fruitless endeavor.

The drive home was icy. Izuku was staring out the window, lost in his own grief. He'd been so affected… She couldn't forget how _he_ had to feel. He had his dreams, his friends, his hopes, his ideals. He'd lost something today that she didn't understand. She knew, unfortunately, what it was like to be in Katsuki's position. Maybe…

"Izuku, sweetie, I know you're tired but I'd like to tell you something."

The expression on his face when he turned nearly broke her heart. He was a thousand miles away, only half listening to whatever it was she was about to say. It was typical teen behavior, eye rolling at the lecture from mom delivered for the hundredth time. That wasn't what cleaved her heart. It was the fact that behind the frustration was grief.

"Do you remember at your school, when Eraserhead mentioned fighting Gravimetric?"

It was silent as she watched Izuku think back. His eyes widened slightly at the memory. "He said _you_ fought him, or something…?"

Inko took a deep breath. "Do you know anything about the Gravimetric case?"

His brow furrowed at this unexpected line of questioning. "Gravimetric was… he was a senior sidekick on Team Terra in the early 80's, known for his ability to increase the weight of any object with one touch. The upper limits of his quirk weren't well documented, but it was said that he could increase the weight of something to at least 5 metric tons when he signed on as a sidekick." Izuku took a breath, lost momentarily in the recitation. "He embezzled throughout his hero career but was finally caught in '84. Instead of facing charges, he was barred from hero work and all income opportunities in that industry. Gravimetric went off the grid for a few years, until Pro Hero Neon and unaffiliated hero known only as 'Sudden Impact' foiled a kidnapping-"

Izuku's eyes refocused and he looked at her. "Was that you?"

Inko couldn't help but smile at the look on her son's face. The blooming idea that his mother might've been a hero… "No, sweetie, but I was there too. It was like… You know the law about unlicensed quirk use?"

His face seemed to pale as he nodded, so Inko was quick to dispel his fears. "I wasn't in any trouble. The details of the case weren't released, but it was Toshinori- he used to go by Sudden Impact- who ended up taking down Gravimetric."

She wanted to distract him, somewhat. But her purpose here was twofold. "It was Shouta. He was the student they kidnapped, initially. I don't know how they got him, but we stumbled upon their van as they were trying to make a getaway. We had to escape their base of operations, but didn't get far."

Inko looked at her son's arms. "It's nothing like what's happened to your bones, sweetheart, but I'm not speaking in any ignorance when I say you need to be careful. Toshinori- I know he doesn't look it, but he used to be very strong. Gravimetric used his quirk to trap him with something too heavy for him to lift."

Izuku's eyes widened. "Too heavy for-" he bit off his question suddenly. "How did he escape?"

Inko's smile widened a little. "He had help. I used my quirk to get the key to the handcuffs. It was too heavy for him to lift as well, but I got him out. At a cost." She ran a hand over her sleeve. There were still slivers of white around her finger joints that had nearly faded with time. "Sweetheart, believe me when I say I understand how you feel." Inko looked up to meet his eyes. "And you have so much potential! You have the second chance that a lot of kids who are really quirkless never get."

Suddenly, the end of the tale came to her. It was exactly what she wanted to say, in terms she believed he would understand. "I hurt my arms so badly I couldn't help. Toshinori had to carry me out, and Shouta had to keep the villains at bay. It was a _miracle_ we were able to stop Gravimetric. In the end it was because we helped each other. You have to watch out for yourself, Izuku. If not for your sake, and not for mine- then for your friends' and future teammates sakes."

There was a pained gleam in his eyes as he absorbed her story. Izuku looked away, no doubt remembering elements of his own ordeal.

She didn't expect him to tell a tale of his own. "You know, Mom… I-... It was life or death when I broke my arms. So I had to give it everything I had, more than I ever had before." He paused. "But then I didn't have enough left to save Kacchan. Even if I had gotten to him, there was nothing left."

There was something in his eyes that she did understand: bitter discontent. That was something they definitely had in common. He didn't like this situation. He didn't like being powerless to stop villains, at a limit even with his teachers and his peers. But he was determined to overcome it.

She was proud that he hadn't given in to despair. That would've been easy. He seemed frustrated, not despondent that he had failed. Izuku was taking the hard road and standing strong even when he was powerless to change his surroundings. Inko glanced at his sling and sighed. There were some things no one's arms could reach.

"This may not be a comfort, sweetie, but you shouldn't have had to. And I can't imagine what you're going through, but I want you to think about-" _Next time, there was always a next time-_ "...about when you're a Hero. Think about the next time you'll have to save someone and think about what you'll need to do to make sure you can. It's not all on you, sweetheart. You're so wonderful at analyzing quirks and abilities. You need to use that to keep yourself safe, even when you're saving others."

Izuku was still quiet, but he nodded. She would let him think. He needed to figure out a way to apply things. It was one of his strengths, and given enough time, something he could use to change the tide of any battle he was fighting. Especially battles within himself.

"Thanks mom." He said at last. "I don't want to ever make the same mistake twice."

They arrived home and Inko felt a lightness she hadn't for some time. Her son was taking this seriously. When he said something like that, he meant it. She was confident he would take her words to heart and try to learn ways to keep himself out of danger.

That was why she was absolutely livid when she found his room empty. She was going to _kill_ him before the League of Villains got the chance. The only reason he'd gotten so far was she had been _engrossed_ in UA's apology. Shouta was on, and she knew how much he hated the press. As a friend and citizen she thought the interrogation was a bit harsh. As a mother… She had wondered if she ought to call Mitsuki again.

But right now she was so angry she couldn't get up off the couch. What did Izuku think he was _doing?_ They'd had a conversation about UA, about danger, about how he shouldn't be throwing himself recklessly at any obstacle. Inko took a deep breath, held it, and let it back out. Izuku had promised not to get into trouble. If she couldn't trust her son…

Maybe he had gone to a friend's to watch the press conference. He could've gone some time ago. Maybe they were all frustrated, impulsive teenagers just a teeny bit too wrapped up in their emotions to think rationally. It was certainly a charged atmosphere. The whole country had its eyes on UA staff tonight.

All of the UA staff.

The interruption was swift. One moment, some talking heads were analyzing the ramifications of UA's incident rate and the likely policy changes in store for schools around the country, and the next… For one horrible moment, Inko was frozen in her seat. The whole area where the heroes were… The buildings, the alleys, the sidewalks… _Izuku's empty bed._

Heroes talked about times in their lives- pivotal moments- where their legs started moving before their minds had caught up. They singled it out as the moment when they cemented their calling as heroes. Once, they said, their minds caught up with them they were filled with a sense of purpose.

When Inko came back into awareness, her hands were clammy. Her skin was feverishly hot despite the chill in the air, and she realized she was the only one on the train not looking at her phone. They were all watching. They were all watching it unfold. Several news stations were on and unplugged, but not a word could she understand. Too many thoughts fought for her attention, drowned out by the fervent, repeating: _Izuku. Izuku!_

In hindsight, it may have been callous of her to care so little. In that moment, there was absolutely nothing that could be more important. The world could be- might be already- ending before their eyes, but she could only look for her son. It was no dispassionate neglect to worry for the other heroes and civilians no doubt caught up in what could only be described as an explosion. Her mind was full to bursting with the certainty that her son was _there_ , and he was in imminent danger. She could only hope that he'd taken her words to heart.

It soon became apparent that her feet had taken her to the only place she could get answers. The next stop she knew to not be far from UA. In her panic, she'd taken the old route to school. She nearly flew from the train as soon as the doors opened. Heedless of the other passengers, press, bystanders, Inko didn't stop until a pair of hands on her shoulders forced her to a halt. A very large, gray pair of hands.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but the campus is closed. I can't let you go inside."

 _Cementoss_ , her brain supplied. _Quirk: some kind of big wall. Concrete. Whatever._ He was certainly effective either way. None of the reporters had approached the gate. They had mostly dispersed to cover the… the _action_ elsewhere. Inko had no time for games. The fate of her world was on the line. She would say whatever she had to if Cementoss would let her pass.

"You have to let me see Shouta!" It wasn't a hero's instinct, but a mother's instinct that brought her here. And she wasn't about to leave. She didn't have any credence as a parent of a potential hero, but… Whipping out the CC card in an inspired frenzy, Inko waved it as close to the Hero's face as she could manage. "Here! I'm not just some reporter. And I'm going with you or _through_ you, s-so make up your mind, s-sir!"

To her credit, Cementoss took a step back. He'd hardly eyed the card for a moment before waving to one of the other UA Staff posted on guard. "Watch the gate. Mrs. Aizawa is here."

 _Mrs. What_

While it was generally a rule if a hero took a non-hero spouse, they were the go-to for Civilian Contact. She didn't have time to correct him. Inko didn't even have time to be embarrassed. Izuku's life was on the line, and she'd be happy to let Shouta explain _after_ she spoke with him. Toshinori was probably at home, watching from the safety of civilian life. She would call him. Not now, but after whatever eventuality presented itself.

The other hero took over the gate and they were off toward the auditorium where the press conference had been held. Inko didn't spare the halls of her alma mater a glance. Cementoss led her through a side door and into what was serving as a green room. Inko didn't wait for an introduction.

"Izuku isn't home." She didn't stop at the threshold. Inko marched straight up to Shouta, ignoring the wild looks from the other two Heroes present. "He's _there._ He's out there with that-"

She turned to point at the television. In a moment of perfect clarity, the whole atmosphere of the room fit into place. The three men (two men and the Principal) had been rigid, tense, and dumbstruck. Inko had assumed it was due to her sudden appearance. But of course it wasn't. These were veterans, seasoned heroes who'd trained in battle and survived violence like she scarcely dared to imagine. These were UA's finest. Something like an irate mother wasn't going to pull horror upon their faces. It wasn't going to draw out dread.

The image on the screen could.

She saw the fire first. Smoke. There was rubble, devastation, and- as the helicopter camera zoomed- the manifestation of evil. This was the mastermind of terror. That was the man that authored the fear in a mother's heart. She couldn't hear what was happening. She didn't need to. The man standing before him told the country everything they needed to know.

"Izuku's safe. He's there but not… _there._ " That voice barely cut through the haze enveloping her senses. There was All Might- there was Toshinori- it was Toshinori and All Might. Somehow.

"Your son is perfectly safe, Mrs. Midoriya, but as you can see we have somewhat of a crisis on our hands…" The rest of the words floated away. In their place, all of the puzzle pieces started arranging themselves. Toshinori's strength, his inexplicable connection to Gran Torino, his disappearance… Come to think of it, she realized All Might's debut almost directly coincided with the homecoming of Sudden Impact. And his decline began that one day-

 _Izuku knew._ That was the next realization. For whatever reason, Izuku knew Toshinori's secret. Maybe that was the catalyst. Surely a man with such great power would recognize another. A hero with hidden qualities, a mentorship in the making. The ten months of training was plenty of time to identify his seemingly dormant quirk. And with all his letters still addressed to 'Kawakami' he never would've known he was training her son.

But at the same time, she couldn't spare the emotional energy to be furious with him. They said her son was safe, but was anyone safe from that _thing_ on TV? The arm twisted, grotesque. A hand on her shoulder tensed. Ever her son's mother, she tried to analyze, to see what Toshinori must be looking for. Each well came up dry. Every avenue a dead end. The monster was untouchable, the immovable object even at All Might's level.

One hand reached up to meet the steady presence on her shoulder. The other hovered halfway up her face, in case she couldn't bear to watch the outcome. And she didn't know if she was strong enough to watch this play out. Izuku had chuckled nervously when she said she'd fainted during the Sports Festival, but if All Might lost…

If All Might lost, their world would burn. Any safety Izuku had would be forfeit. She clenched her free hand into a fist. Toshinori _had_ to win. He got her son into this business, into the world of heroes, and he had to see Izuku through it. Toshinori was the only thing standing between that abomination and the future of the world. Of her world.

The room was tense and silent as the monster reared back his fist. What did Toshinori have left but his wits? _Improvise_ , she pleaded silently, _Who's smarter, who's scrappier, who's been through worse and worse for it than you?_ She hoped beyond hope that this was just one more over-inflated ego he could knock down to size. Would he make Izuku's mistake- _had he taught Izuku that line of thinking-_ that would leave him vulnerable at the limit of his power?

Nobody saw the second punch coming until the shockwave hit the dust and obscured the scene. A nation waited with bated breath. Until a single hand rose, clenched in a fist.

The monster was vanquished. Good had won the day. But the cost… The cost was great.

Had she still been a doctor, she might not have fainted at the sight of so much blood.

 **A/N: This is the last act, but not the last chapter, of this little story. Thanks again to everyone for reading. I know it can be trying when I update so sporadically, but I promise not to leave you hanging forever.**

 **Some of you have commented with exasperation and delight on the romantic-misunderstanding-for-comedy I've employed and I'm so giddy it's being received well. I stand by my promise of a Gen fic but since you guys like jokes so much I've thrown you a bone in here with a teaser of things to come.**


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